Chapter 15 The End of Autumn and the Beginning of Winter

Late autumn and early winter were traditionally a time for warfare, a period when the horses were fat, the granaries were full, and the bitter cold had yet to arrive.

However, counting from the time Aguda officially raised his banners against the Liao Dynasty eighteen years ago, after eighteen years of total war, this year's late autumn and early winter seemed to be the most peaceful war window period in East Asia, this high plateau of civilization.

The reason was simple enough: the Jin Dynasty, accustomed to launching southward campaigns after the autumn harvest, had finally called a halt to its eighteen years of relentless expansion.

Although there were still battles in northern Shaanxi, and the Battle of Zishui had previously erupted, compared to the Jin people's tiger-like ambition to swallow thousands of miles in the past eighteen years, and the other nations' zombie-like struggles across hundreds of miles, these were minor events indeed.

In the eyes of many, the so-called Jin Dynasty's autumn offensive launched by Huvle this year was laughable, like a child's game.

Grand slogans were shouted, but the main battle line didn't advance an inch. After much effort, they managed to seize a few outposts near Baoan Army through surprise attacks from the flanks, but they never captured the most important and core stronghold, Kao Lao Stockade. Now, with Wu Jie, the Grand Song's Imperial Guards Rear Army Commander, personally leading troops to reinforce, those outer outposts were being retaken one by one, and it seemed that Baoan Army was about to fall into a stalemate as well.

Just let them make noise.

In fact, at the very moment when Yelu Yu Du fled into Kao Lao Stockade, Zhao, the Emperor, who had just finished his imperial examination, although he paid some attention to the war situation in northern Shaanxi, still sat securely in Tokyo City, focusing most of his attention on the upcoming package of fiscal reforms. Yuwen Xuzhong, the envoy in Guanzhong, remained stationed in Chang'an; Han Shizhong was only symbolically stationed in Tongzhou; Hu Yin was only in Fangzhou; even Huvle and Wu Lin were only confronting each other at the Diaoyin Mountain pass; and the Jin troops in Hedong had not made any coordinated movements.

Of course, the Jin's Fourth Prince had only just arrived in Taiyuan, and only learned about Yelu Yu Du's disappearance more than ten days later.

Frankly, after learning the specific news, the Fourth Prince didn't have much reaction.

Firstly, he didn't know about Yelu Yu Du's plan to collude with Grand Song and Yelu Dashi. Even if he knew, he wouldn't think much of a defeated Jin general thousands of miles away. This was a limitation of perspective. Wushu couldn't have any opinions about unknown and unfamiliar subjects in the desolate lands. Neither could Qin Hui.

Secondly, the Fourth Prince had actually achieved his purpose.

The truth of the matter was as cruel as Yelu Yu Du had guessed. This defection was nothing more than a trial balloon sent out by Wanyan Wushu. In Wushu's eyes, Yelu Yu Du, the once-prominent figure who had been squeezed of all his value, was simply a tool, a pebble.

Previously, Nianhan wanted to use Yu Du as a tool to establish his authority by killing him, but he didn't have time. Wushu, on the other hand, wanted to use this pebble to test the Xia's true attitude towards the Jin: were they still as fearful as before, when the Empress and Prince died of excessive longing, or had they truly developed a rebellious heart?

Incidentally, he also wanted to test if Huvle still considered Yan'an and his 20,000 troops to be part of the Jin Dynasty.

The results were mixed.

The good news was that the Xia Dynasty was still fearful of the Great Jin at heart, and still knew what was important. This was evident in Wei Ming Yunge's immediate rejection of Yu Du and his voluntary apology after Yu Du disappeared. Furthermore, it could be deduced that the Xia Dynasty actually wanted to form an alliance with the Great Jin to resist Zhao Song.

After all, the Xia Dynasty had been established for a century, and its history was basically a century of war with Grand Song. Its hypothetical enemy and long-term strategic threat had always been Grand Song.

The worrying thing was that Huvle was still ambiguous... Yu Du passed through his territory, contacted the Xia people, and then disappeared, while the Fourth Prince arrived in Taiyuan, but Huvle remained motionless at the Diaoyin Mountains.

Of course, Wanyan Salihu, who remained with Huvle in Yan'an, took the initiative to pay his respects to Taiyuan and voluntarily reviewed the Yu Du incident. At the same time, Salihu took the initiative to complain, saying that Hedong ignored the life and death of the Jin troops in northern Shaanxi and failed to provide military supplies when the Jin troops were fighting fiercely on the front line, leading to setbacks. He hoped that the Fourth Prince would handle the matter impartially.

As for Taiyuan City, Wanyan Balisu, Wanyan Tuhesu, Wanyan Zhehe, Yelu Mabu, Jiagu Wulibu, and other generals also complained to Wushu, saying that once Huvle started a war, Hedong couldn't really stand by and watch, so military supplies, materials, and provisions were sent over like flowing water. However, the court had no decree to start a war, and Huvle resolutely refused to allow Hedong troops to go to northern Shaanxi, and he didn't give any prior warning. This led to Hedong being unable to cooperate at all, and the campaign itself had no future. Therefore, they could only provide basic military supplies, but they couldn't really throw all their precious grain reserves into it.

It must be known that times were different now. The practice of supplementing large amounts of military supplies through plundering was long gone. Other military supplies were fine, but military grain was the most precious. Now, the grain in Hedong was grown with great difficulty. Would they just give it to Huvle to squander?

Frankly, the complexity of the matter was not beyond Wushu's expectations.

Therefore, Wanyan Wushu only hesitated slightly before deciding to proceed in order of priority and step by step... On the one hand, he appeased the generals in Taiyuan, and on the other hand, he personally sent a letter to Wanyan Huvle, requesting him to stop the doomed war, hand over Yan'an to Wanyan Salihu, hand over the frontline troops to Puchahu Zhan, and then come to Taiyuan to meet him in person.

That's not all. Wushu also sent a letter to the new Jin Xijing (Datong) Garrison Commander in the north, his sixth brother Wanyan Eluguan, asking him to talk to the Xia people from the north and make some hints.

That was considered doing his best.

It is said that the transmission of information was really a troublesome thing in those days. In theory, whether it was Song or Jin, the fastest way to communicate should be 500 *li* in a day and night, but how could that actually be done?

Winding mountain roads, river obstacles, untimely replenishment of horses along the way, rain, thunder, landslides, encountering someone getting married at the crossroads... anything could delay the news.

Then, to turn around and look, Yelu Yu Du entered Kao Lao Stockade on the second day of the tenth month, and then revealed everything he had prepared to Guo Hao. On the fifth day of the tenth month, the news was sent to Wu Jie, who was just across the Qingzhou border in Da Shun City... because it was necessary to detour to avoid the Jin-controlled area between the two.

It wasn't until the seventh day of the tenth month that Hu Yin in Fangzhou learned of the news.

On the thirteenth day of the tenth month, Yuwen Xuzhong in Chang'an and Wanyan Wushu in Taiyuan both learned of the news... Next, Wushu naturally went to cause trouble for Huvle step by step, while Yuwen Xuzhong, who dared not make decisions, had to transmit the news to Tokyo at the highest level.

This time, the road was much easier. Just run along the Yellow River. Theoretically, it was only a little over 1,000 *li*, a little over two days' journey, but in reality, it still took a full four and a half days to deliver the news to the Privy Council in Tokyo on the eighteenth day of the tenth month... and it was only that afternoon that Zhao Jiu learned of the information.

In other words, it took a full eleven days for the news to reach Taiyuan, and a full seventeen days to reach Tokyo. And if it were to be sent back again, it would probably take a similar amount of time.

Slow, troublesome, and too many unexpected events. This was why many things couldn't be planned and executed in those days. To put it bluntly, one trip would take seventeen days, and a round trip would take a month. Two rounds of the winter *cuju* competition would have been completed.

But there was really no way. Things were so frustrating and helpless. Zhao Jiu had to provide expert guidance to the experts in a short period of time, and achieve strategic predictions and make strategic decisions from afar.

The only good news was that Wanyan Wushu's side should be the same.

"Summon the four Chief Councilors and Vice Minister Li to discuss matters." Zhao Jiu pondered for a moment, knowing that he couldn't delay, and immediately ordered in the stone pavilion. "Also, summon Minister Wang (Wang Shu) of the Ministry of Justice and Minister Hu of the Ministry of War... Wait a moment, also summon Commander Qu Duan of the Imperial Guards Cavalry Army, Deputy Commander Wang De of the Imperial Guards Central Army, Commander Zhang Jing, Qiao Zhongfu, and also Commander Wang Yuan of the Imperial Guards, and the staff officers in the Privy Council, such as Hu Hongxiu."

"Your Majesty," Liu Yan, who was attending, reminded him seriously. "The Chief Councilors and staff officers of the Privy Council are in the Chongwen Academy in front, and the officials of the Court of Audit and various ministries are outside the Xuande Tower. However, many of the generals are in the Yuetai Camp outside the city..."

"Then we'll talk in the Wende Hall. We'll talk a little later and wait for the military officers." Zhao Jiu said as he got up from the pavilion, took two steps, but then turned back. "Go find Yang Yizhong. You and Yang Yizhong must also attend and be prepared for inquiries. Also, call Hu Quan and Yu Yunwen, and also summon the Western Army training officers from the Military Academy. Also, have the jigsaw sand table from the Military Academy transported to the Wende Hall!"

It is said that Liu Yan didn't know what had happened, but when he first heard that he was going to summon the Chief Councilors and many generals to discuss matters, he knew that things were not simple. When he heard that he was actually going to the Wende Hall, he became even more nervous. In the end, when he and Yang Yizhong were also going to attend and be prepared for inquiries, he had no other thoughts and directly called out to the guards outside the pavilion to quickly convey the order.

As for Zhao Jiu, he probably didn't even realize that as his tone became more and more severe, he was obviously taking this matter more and more seriously in his heart.

Moreover, after taking a few steps, he turned back to the pavilion and kept thinking.

"Yelu Yu Du was indeed an important minister of the Liao and Jin Dynasties in the past, but now he's just a humble refugee, a stray dog. Is his word trustworthy? And Yelu Dashi is just a remnant of the Northern Liao. Although he has some information and claims, how can he be used?"

In the evening, the officials gathered in the Wende Hall. As soon as the civil and military officials arrived, they knew that this matter should be related to military strategy and major policies just by looking at the others in attendance. The Chief Councilors and important ministers had already learned the ins and outs of the matter. As soon as Lan, the Grand Official, briefly introduced the situation, Chief Councilor Zhao Ding immediately raised a question.

Moreover, Zhao Ding immediately made clear the key to the matter... To put it bluntly, Yelu Yu Du himself and his defection were nothing in the eyes of the two great nations. The key to the problem was the news brought by Yelu Yu Du, the possibility of the Jin people giving northern Shaanxi to the Xia, and the feasibility of the plan proposed by Yelu Yu Du that the remnants of the Northern Liao could attack the Xia from both sides.

Yes, it must be emphasized here that at this moment, everyone still regarded Yelu Dashi and his troops as 'remnants of the Northern Liao', not as the new king of the Western Liao.

"I also believe that the Jin people may not do this..." As soon as the Chief Councilor finished speaking, Deputy Chief Councilor Liu Ji of the Department of State Affairs also cupped his hands in response. "This move is too inconceivable. This is not the Warring States period. Where is there a strategy of gifting several counties to shift the blame?"

"But what if they really do it?" Vice Chief Councilor Chen Gui of the Western Secretariat frowned and stepped forward, rarely refuting on the spot. "This kind of thing is inherently uncertain, but can matters of military importance be gambled on?"

"I have something to say." Privy Councilor Zhang Jun also immediately expressed his opinion after thinking for a moment. "Even if it's not the counties in northern Shaanxi, connecting with the Western Liao is also the right thing to do! Since ancient times, the Han Dynasties have allied with the northern barbarians to use the Western Regions as the key to sever the northern barbarians' arm and form a pincer attack. Even Emperor Shenzong's opening of the frontier in the Hehuang area to contain the Xia was based on this principle."

The four Chief Councilors were immediately divided into two opposing sides, and their views were completely different, which made the atmosphere somewhat heavy. However, almost everyone in the hall understood that this was just a difference in the direction of thinking and a difference in attitude caused by different positions, rather than so-called factional infighting.

After all, after Lü Haowen left office, the relationship between Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun had obviously eased greatly, and Chen Gui and Liu Ji had always been recognized as the so-called 'Nanyang faction' - Liu Ji had recommended Chen Gui.

Returning to the matter itself, Zhao Ding and Liu Ji were in charge of the Department of State Affairs and naturally wanted northern Shaanxi to be stable. They only wanted to follow the Emperor's previous instructions to 'rotate troops' rather than launch a real large-scale war. This would allow the country to focus on the fiscal reforms that had already begun, so as to comprehensively revitalize the country and completely untie the deadly financial shackles on the country's neck. However, if there were really major events in the northwest, such as the involvement of the Xia and the return of the Northern Liao, there might be a big war, which would cause the little money that the country had managed to save to be wasted.

If they wanted to get the finances back on track at that time, they didn't know how long they would have to wait.

As for the two Privy Councilors, those who knew them slightly also knew that their starting points for refuting the two Chief Councilors of the Department of State Affairs were also different... Chen, the Privy Councilor, was recognized as the first defender, and in military terms, he emphasized a comprehensive response. Now that there was a flaw in the northwest, he naturally opposed inaction. As for Zhang, the Privy Councilor, his personality was actually on display. He was a bit fond of grand achievements, but he didn't know what thoughts this dispute in the northwest of various countries had aroused in his heart? Was he dreaming of being Zhuge Wuhou again?

However, the problem was that this time, after Zhang Jun opened his mouth with anticipation, Zhao, the Emperor, just remained silent and didn't know what he was thinking.

"Your Majesty."

The difficulty of the matter was immediately evident. Li Guang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Audit, couldn't even think of where to attack for a while, so he frowned and thought. After hesitating for a moment, Hu Shijiang, the Minister of the Ministry of War, couldn't avoid it and reluctantly stepped forward. "This year's autumn harvest wasn't a major disaster. Even in Jingdong, because the fighting was fast and skillful, the autumn harvest wasn't delayed. However, if we use a large army in a place like northern Shaanxi, the difficulty of transportation can't be compared to the Central Plains or Guanzhong! It might even be necessary to transfer troops from Bashu. However, Bashu is still using half of its taxes to repay the conscription from the Battle of Yaoshan this year. Do we have to collect taxes from the Bashu scholars and people again after they've paid off their debts?"

This statement was of course an undeniable truth, and it hit the vital points of Zhang Jun and Zhao Jiu.

Zhang Jun frowned in hesitation for a moment, and Zhao Jiu finally opened his mouth: "Then, according to Minister Hu, how should we respond? What if the Jin people really use the land in northern Shaanxi to lure the Xia into the game?"

"Repair the forts along the line, store grain locally, observe the situation, and then discuss other matters..." Hu Shijiang responded earnestly. "As the head of the Ministry of War, I have a duty to do so. I am willing to go to Guanzhong to personally preside over this matter."

Zhao Jiu frowned slightly, but before he could answer, one person immediately stepped forward. It was Wang Shu, the former head of northern Shaanxi and the current Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say to Your Majesty and the civil and military officials in the hall, and I have a question to ask the Chief Councilors and Minister Hu." Wang Shu cupped his hands. "Please allow me, Your Majesty."

"I called you here so that you can speak your minds freely." Zhao Jiu in the imperial seat immediately raised his hand.

"Yes." Minister Wang Shu of the Ministry of Justice bowed, then turned around and looked around, and said solemnly. "Chief Councilors, colleagues, I have something to tell you. When I was in charge of the overall situation in northern Shaanxi, I personally heard the news... Xia King Li Gan Shun did indeed bribe Nianhan, asking for the surrounding Song and Liao lands to be given to him. Nianhan did indeed have the idea of giving the former Liao lands near Yinshan to the Xia... In other words, this matter is definitely not groundless! Yelu Yu Du is indeed a stray dog, but that doesn't mean that his words shouldn't be taken seriously."

Zhao Ding and Liu Ji were both solemn, and many people in the hall also became serious.

It is said that this matter was obviously a major military and political matter, and even more important military strategy. As the head of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Shu had to do serious things such as revising and publishing the *Xingtong*. In principle, he shouldn't have been called to participate in this meeting, but the Emperor still called him here, and no one else objected, because they saw that this person had once been in charge of the overall military and political situation in northern Shaanxi and hoped that he would provide relevant information, news, and opinions.

Now that Wang Shu had clearly provided his opinion as an expert on northern Shaanxi and an important minister, they had to further consider the possibility of the Xia people really getting involved in northern Shaanxi.

"Even so, we can also build deep trenches and high fortresses, prepare grain and sharpen our weapons, and respond to all changes with constancy." In the serious atmosphere, Hu Shijiang responded earnestly, sticking to his position.

"How can we just build deep trenches and high fortresses, prepare grain and sharpen our weapons? Why not send out the Baoan Army and Dingbian Army together as an extra gift?" Qu Duan, the commander of the Imperial Guards Cavalry who had just returned from Jingdong, finally couldn't help it.

Hearing Qu Duan speak, Wang Shu, who was about to refute Hu Shijiang, suddenly felt suffocated and couldn't speak. Hu Shijiang seemed a little unable to understand and seriously asked:

"Commander Qu, what do you mean?"

"Isn't this the Jurchens giving the Xia people a gift?" Qu Duan stood in the shadows of the hall at dusk and sneered. "We might as well send out the Baoan Army and Dingbian Army as an extra gift, so as not to weaken our momentum... and make us seem to lack the style of a great power."

Hu Shijiang finally realized that the other party was maliciously mocking him and also suppressed his anger: "Commander Qu, this is a matter of national importance!"

"I'm also talking about matters of national importance." Qu Duan replied proudly. "Baoan Army, Dingbian Army, and the three northern outposts of Qingzhou are actually more conveniently connected to Yan'an. Since we want to build deep trenches and high fortresses and save money and grain, why can't we just send them out and be done with it? Didn't Chancellor Sima also send them out before? In fact, if you ask me, Minister Hu still doesn't understand the geography of Guanzhong. If you want to save grain and effort, Huaide Army, Zhenrong Army, Xianzhou, and Huizhou should all be sent out. If you want to save even more effort, the entire Hehuang area west of Lanzhou can also be sent out! If you still think it costs too much grain, the entire Guanzhong can also be sent out, and we only need to defend Tongguan and Dasanguan, wouldn't that be more appropriate?"

Hu Shijiang was stunned for a moment, then his anger surged, and he was about to turn around and impeach this person. Even Li Guang was finally about to take action.

At this moment, Chief Councilor Zhao Ding and Privy Councilor Zhang Jun took the lead and scolded: "Qu Duan, this is the Wende Hall. If you have any more outrageous remarks, get out immediately!"

"Qu Duan! You were asked to come here to discuss matters properly, not to say such outrageous words!"

"Let the two Chief Councilors know!" Being scolded face to face by the two Chief Councilors, Qu Duan was not afraid at all, but continued to respond loudly in the hall. "To us Guanzhong people, letting the Xia into Yan'an is also the most outrageous thing in the world!"

The hall was silent for a moment, and many people were shocked. Qu Duan continued to roar in the hall:

"The Chief Councilors and Ministers are talking so happily, but have you ever turned around to look at the faces of so many Westerners in the hall before the sun sets? Ask us Guanzhong people what we think?! Today, I won't say anything about how Yelu Dashi defeated the Xia, nor will I say anything about how the Xia prevented our cavalry from recruiting the Tibetan cavalry. I'll just talk about Yan'an Prefecture. Before, the Jin were powerful, and Huvle had a large army. We were helpless, and that was fine. But how can we let those Xia dogs take it?! Are we Guanzhong people afraid of the Xia people? In my opinion, Minister Hu is from Changzhou. If there isn't enough military grain, let Changzhou increase taxes. If increasing taxes isn't enough, let's borrow in advance. Can't we borrow a hundred years' worth of taxes from Changzhou and still be afraid of not having money and grain? Why should we sit back and watch Yan'an being treated like goods to be handed over? Are Changzhou people people, but Yan'an people aren't people?!"

After a roar, Hu Shijiang's face turned red with anger, but he forcibly endured it. Even the Chief Councilors and the Vice Minister of the Court of Audit were speechless... Because, just as Qu Duan was roaring alone, many generals from the Western Army, from Wang De onwards, Zhang Jing, and Qiao Zhongfu had already led many people to gather behind Qu Duan. Even Wang Yuan, the commander of the Imperial Guards, who had always been disheartened, was now dragging his face and moving two steps towards Qu Duan.

In other words, Qu Duan's words seemed absurd, but the opinion inside could not be ignored - people from Guanzhong, especially military generals from Guanzhong, absolutely could not tolerate Yan'an being controlled by the Xia people, their sworn enemies.

"Have you finished howling?!"

At this moment, Zhao, the Emperor, finally spoke coldly. "Can't you speak properly? Do you have to be so sarcastic?"

"I'm ashamed..." Qu Duan's scalp went numb, and he quickly walked out of the shadows and saluted respectfully. "But I'm really too angry to bear it."

"If you've finished howling, just wait. I didn't ask you just now, not because I didn't want to ask you, but because it wasn't your turn." Zhao Jiu ignored the other party and looked at Wang Shu again. "Minister Wang, didn't you still have something to ask?"

"I don't need to ask anymore." Wang Shu just glanced at Qu Duan beside him and was as helpless as if he had eaten a fly. "I just wanted to ask Minister Hu just now that his words were somewhat reasonable, but had he ever thought about how our Guanzhong scholars and people view the Xia people? Yan'an is an important town in Guanzhong, a large town, the core of several counties in northern Shaanxi. In the hands of the Jin, that was because the Jin were powerful before, and Huvle had a large army. It was indeed impossible to take it for a while, but if the Jin were to leave and give the land to the Xia, and the court was to sit back and watch... I'm afraid that the hearts of the Guanzhong people would be unstable."

"You and Qu Duan are finally in agreement on the Yan'an issue at this time." Zhao Jiu finally smiled and looked at Hu Shijiang again. "Minister Hu, don't be angry either. It's right for us to discuss matters in the temple with utilitarianism. But we must always understand in our hearts that our great strategy from the central government is about the lives and property of thousands of scholars and people. We must always make choices... How does that saying go? When the overall situation in a chaotic world is settled, it falls on the shoulders of ordinary people, and it's as heavy as mountains. It may even mean being crushed to pieces... Today's matter is nothing more than weighing the pros and cons. If it's really impossible or insufficient, then even if Commander Qu roars again, it's just random howling."

"I'm not howling randomly." Hu Shijiang was about to respond, but Qu Duan preempted him again. "Your Majesty, if the Jin people really want to abandon Yan'an and lure the Xia people over, I am willing to be the vanguard and recover Yan'an... The geography of Yan'an is in my hands, the hearts of the people are in my hands, and the Western Army soldiers will never not fight to the death in this battle."

Zhao Jiu just nodded randomly.

Next, the civil and military officials who had been summoned spoke in turn, but in the end, they still held their own opinions. Moreover, because of the Chief Councilors' tone and the conflict between the three major officials Qu Duan, Wang Shu, and Hu Shijiang, the core arguments of the matter were concentrated on two questions.

One was the truthfulness of the news brought by Yelu Yu Du, that is, whether the Jin people would really give Yan'an to the Xia, and the two sides kept discussing it.

The other was that once the assumption was made that the Jin people really gave Yan'an to the Xia people, and then the Xia people really joined the battle, the civil and military officials, the central government, and the officers from the West had clear positions... The central government and the civil officials really didn't want to start another war with a great power, and it was likely to be a large-scale battle, which would be too costly and not worth it. However, the military officers, especially the military officers with a Guanzhong background, all had a clear attitude: once the Xia people came, they must not be tolerated!

The former was rational, and the latter was emotional. No one had a problem. It was a structural contradiction.

A few, such as Yang Yizhong, who was from Guanzhong, chose to be rationally defensive, but they were not enough to change the balance between the two sides.

Zhao Jiu listened to the opinions for a long time and did not express his position. The sky was gradually getting dark, so the arguments stopped slightly, and the guards and eunuchs came in to light the lamps.

The first candle holder was lit, and according to the rules, only one candle was placed. One candle lit up a small area in the hall. Zhao, the Emperor, saw a familiar face in the light and was moved, and then he directly named him: "Staff Officer Hu, you seem to have not said anything all along. I wonder what you think of this matter?"

Hu Hongxiu was caught off guard and quickly stepped forward, but found that the middle was dark and could not move forward or backward.

"Just speak under the lamp." Zhao Jiu was also a little tired.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Hu Hongxiu carefully responded, then bowed hastily and quickly spoke. "I think the key point of this matter is not whether Yu Du's words are credible, nor is it what we think internally..."

Zhao Jiu was immediately speechless... The others also laughed. Did that mean that the others had wasted a dusk in vain?

"This speech isn't even as good as mine!"

A familiar voice directly mocked in the dark.

"Your Majesty." Hearing these reactions, Hu Hongxiu quickly explained. "I'm not saying that we shouldn't consider whether Yu Du is credible or ignore our internal differences..."

"You might as well not say anything!"

The laughter turned into loud laughter, and the previous person continued to mock.

"It's okay, speak properly, speak slowly." Although Zhao Jiu also found it a bit annoying and ridiculous, he still maintained his tolerance, because he had just remembered when the lights were lit that this person was from Chancellor Wang's faction. He had both qualifications and merits, but he was still just a staff officer. He himself often used him, so he actually wanted to promote him and use him. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is..." Hu Hongxiu responded earnestly. "Don't just guess whether Yu Du is credible, don't just imagine whether the Jurchens will give up Yan'an, and don't just imagine whether the Xia will accept Yan'an, but layer these things, layer by layer, and then peel them off from the outermost layer. Only then can we be high above and respond calmly."

In a silence, Zhao Jiu was thoughtful: "What is the outermost layer?"

"It's the remnants of the Northern Liao!" Hu Hongxiu cupped his hands. "If the remnants of the Northern Liao do have the military strength of the Xia, then Yelu Dashi is indeed a hero, and he does have the desire for revenge. Then, regardless of whether the Jurchens transfer Yan'an or not, and whether the Xia people accept it or not, why can't we directly connect with the Liao to control the Xia? Moreover, haven't we always been thinking that warhorses are restricted and controlled by the Xia and the Jin? If we can break the Xia, then we won't have to worry about cavalry."

"The Xia have deep roots and haven't been conquered for a hundred years. How can they be so easy to conquer?" In a silence, Zhao Ding suddenly flicked his sleeves, but he immediately realized that they hadn't been conquered for a hundred years precisely because the Xia had always had a stable ally, the Great Liao, which had fully protected the Xia's rear. So, he immediately added: "In the end, I remember hearing news of Yelu Dashi last year. He was only active in the north of the desert, and he only had 10,000 to 20,000 troops. How could he have the strength to contend with the Xia in just one year? Moreover, the north of the desert and the Xia are separated by thousands of miles of desert. How can they really attack from both sides?"

"Then, naturally, we can take a step back and think about things without the help of the Northern Liao... But we should always contact them according to the assumption that there is a Northern Liao army, right?" Hu Hongxiu quickly argued. "Whether Yelu Dashi has become successful or not is not something we can think about here. He's over there. Just go to him and see. As for whether he can come from behind the Xia, it's determined by the local geography, not by our words..."

Hearing this, Zhao Ding finally sighed.

After this sigh, Hu Hongxiu was of course temporarily intimidated, but many smart people in the hall had already woken up.

It is said that Hu Hongxiu's methodology was of course the best and the most correct. There was nothing to say about that. It should be done like that... But this technically biased military bureaucrat didn't realize that sometimes, logically correct may not be politically correct.

Did he really think that these Chief Councilors, Ministers, Commanders, and Generals were all fools?

When Hu Hongxiu presented his methodology, these people quickly calculated it in their hearts. However, the problem was that today's dispute was not about what to do, but about whether to focus on military activities or financial activities in the next period of time.

It was a typical dispute between conservatism and radicalism.

The Baima-Shaoxing incident had eliminated a large number of conservatives in the court and determined the general direction of continuing to fight. Or, Zhao Jiu's fundamental purpose that day was this, not the two Emperors. But to be honest, the conservatives were not necessarily wrong. It was just a different direction, and conservatism was relative. Unless there was only one person left, he would never lack conservatives.

Therefore, even if the comprehensive and fundamental conservatives at that time were eliminated on a large scale, there would still be shallow-level and established policy swings and disputes.

Zhao Ding, Liu Ji, Hu Shijiang, and even Yang Yizhong were not maliciously obstructing or pretending to be confused, but expressing their positions. By the same token, Zhang Jun, Chen Gui, Wang Shu, and Qu Duan were not maliciously provoking or deliberately attacking people. They were also expressing their positions.

Political voting is the most effective and direct means to resolve political differences and influence decision-making in a peaceful era under normal circumstances.

But the problem was that now Zhao, the Emperor, seemed to be somewhat shaken and doubtful due to the urgency of the news and the seriousness of the matter. At the same time, the statements of the relevant important ministers had not formed an overwhelming voting result... Two Chief Councilors against two Chief Councilors, one Minister against one Minister, only the Prime Minister had great power, but he had to consider the morale of the army and the public opinion represented by many officers from Guanzhong.

Therefore, the matter happened to be in a delicate balance.

Of course, if Lü Yihao were here, this large-scale voting would not have occurred at all, because the people who opposed him could not appear here. If it were a classic Song elite official, he would have thrown down his hat long ago and asked Zhao, the Emperor, whom he chose, him or him? The most interesting thing would be to meet a sincere person like Wen Yanbo who liked to tell the truth. If you annoyed this kind of person, he wouldn't bother to argue about these superficial issues. He would just go up and grab Zhao, the Emperor, and take off his pants to let everyone see clearly.

But the problem was that Zhao Ding and Zhang Jun had not been educated by Lü Haowen and then met someone who voluntarily gave up their position. So, they wanted to create a new era, to be vigorous, to make progress, to be reasonable, moral, utilitarian, and original learning-oriented, right?

Especially Zhao Ding himself was recognized as the first in private morality and the first in governing among the Chief Councilors and important officials after Jianyan. Zhang Jun, who was from Sichuan, also wanted to make a name for himself as Zhuge Wuhou. Even Zhao, the Emperor, wanted to act like Emperor Shizu... This led everyone to be very reasonable and willing to follow logic to do things.

This made Hu Hongxiu's words unintentionally play a decisive role that he himself could not have imagined.

However, at this moment, Hu Hongxiu, the Chief Councilors, the important ministers, and even the most unexpected things were still to come.

That was that, from the last layer, Yelu Dashi, the remnant of the Northern Liao, had indeed become successful, and he could indeed attack the Xia from behind.

At the same time, Zhao, the Emperor, had actually realized this from the beginning.

How did he realize this?

The answer was cheating.

Zhao Jiu himself might not have realized that he actually had a vague impression of the name Yelu Dashi, and it was