Pingzhou, as it was called, was roughly the area of present-day Lulong County in Hebei Province.
From a map, Pingzhou, Luanzhou, and Yingzhou formed a triangle, with Pingzhou being the rearmost corner of this formation.
It was also the final corner of the defensive line comprising Yuzhou, Shunzhou, Jizhou, Jingzhou, and Pingzhou.
As long as they could hold Pingzhou, Luanzhou, and Yingzhou would fall into their grasp!
With these three prefectures secured, retaking the remaining cities would strategically become a possibility!
"Grand Councilor, please see this personal letter from Zhang Jue. It was secretly delivered by his brother, Zhang Ping!"
Seeing Tong Guan's excited demeanor, Wang Anzhong quickly handed him the envelope.
After quickly opening it and reading its contents, Tong Guan finally seemed to come alive.
The Emperor's current intention to deal with him was solely due to the disastrous performance in Hebei, leaving the Emperor unable to account for himself to the Liao.
But with this letter, with a bit of maneuvering, there might still be a chance!
According to the treaty between the two nations, the Song Dynasty was supposed to acquire Weizhou, Yizhou, Zhuozhou, Bazhou, and Yanjing Prefecture from the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.
Calculating this, Tong Guan had indeed led his forces to defeat and disgraced the nation. However, if the prefectures of Ying, Ping, and Luan were added, the territory he had ceded would significantly increase!
It could be said that the entire area south of Juyong Pass would essentially belong to the Song Dynasty!
Furthermore, they retained the strategic access points bypassing Songting Pass and Gubeikou Pass. Although still in a passive strategic position, the possibility of counterattack was preserved!
In this light, his achievements would indeed need to be recalculated.
After taking several deep breaths, Tong Guan rushed to a corner of the tent and unhesitatingly plunged his head into a bucket of cold water.
"Grand Councilor, what are you doing?"
Wang Anzhong was truly startled by his peculiar action.
Just as he was about to reach out and pull Tong Guan out, Tong Guan suddenly spat out a large mouthful of water.
"Tell me, where is the messenger now?"
Wiping the water droplets from his face, Tong Guan asked in a low, grim voice.
"Grand Councilor, the person is currently at my residence. I have had him placed under guard, and no one is to approach him without my command!"
Under Tong Guan's menacing gaze, Wang Anzhong trembled and quickly explained his arrangements.
"You handled this matter exceptionally well. However, this alone will not save my life at this juncture. We are in this together now! As long as I can survive this tribulation, I promise you future promotions and riches!"
Having been in the political arena for so long, while Tong Guan lacked significant military talent, his grasp of the court's dynamics was accurate.
Within just a few sentences, he had already identified his path to survival. However, Tong Guan also understood that those who wanted to see him fall were no longer just the original faction.
He had offended too many people over the years, and now that he was in trouble, they would surely come seeking revenge.
Even if he were to write a memorial to the capital himself, it would likely be intercepted en route. And based on his understanding of the Emperor, those urging his demise were probably already on their way!
To make a miraculous comeback, someone with sufficient status and unwavering loyalty was needed to make a trip to Bianliang City on his behalf!
And this letter he held was his last hope!
Although this letter could not be presented directly to the Emperor, with a little careful editing, transforming Zhang Jue's voluntary surrender into him persuading Zhang Jue to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, his path to survival would appear!
"Grand Councilor, my current position is entirely due to your promotion. Please, just give me your orders!"
Wang Anzhong had already anticipated the need to travel to Bianliang before arriving here.
After all, Tong Guan had no suitable candidates left among his subordinates; besides him, he couldn't find anyone else capable of executing this mission.
Therefore, when Tong Guan mentioned it, he agreed without hesitation.
"Good. I will slightly alter this letter. You will immediately take people back to the capital and ensure this letter is personally delivered to His Majesty!"
After several deep breaths, Tong Guan quickly laid out his plan.
"Grand Councilor, rest assured, I will do my utmost and will not disappoint your expectations!"
"Good, I won't say any more. I apologize for the hardship of this journey."
This was a critical moment, and Tong Guan couldn't afford to bother with trivial matters.
He quickly modified the content of the letter in front of Wang Anzhong, made a copy, sealed it with wax again, and handed it back to Wang Anzhong!
"Everything is entrusted to you!"
After hastily tidying his clothes, Tong Guan stepped back and bowed deeply to Wang Anzhong.
"Grand Councilor, rest assured, I will depart for the capital immediately!"
Hiding the envelope in his bosom, Wang Anzhong also bowed to Tong Guan.
"Do not worry, I will immediately send people to your residence to protect your family and Zhang Ping."
Seeing his hesitant look, Tong Guan said without hesitation.
"Thank you, Grand Councilor!"
With his worries about his family alleviated, Wang Anzhong no longer hesitated. He turned and strode out of the tent, leading his two retainers, and galloped towards Bianliang.
Watching his receding figure, Tong Guan finally let out a long sigh. Whether he lived or died now depended on fate!
However, both Tong Guan and Wang Anzhong seemed to have forgotten one thing...
In this alliance at sea, the Song Dynasty was the weaker party, and in Hebei, they had suffered heavy losses, bringing immense shame to the Song army.
What could not be recovered on the battlefield, how could it be regained at the negotiating table?
To create a fait accompli, they needed sufficient strength to contend with the Jin army!
And they?
The soldiers under his command couldn't even defeat the Liao, who had been routed by the Jurchens, let alone directly confront the Jin!
Under such circumstances, resorting to these underhanded tactics, was this not tantamount to courting death?