The winter sunshine in the South is still so warm and pleasant. The lush green bank of the Red Lake is sparkling and green. Looking around, the water, sky and light merge into one, the white cranes rise and fall, and the wooden boats shake their shadows. It is a pleasing and leisurely scene near the lake. On the second floor of the single-story house where I live, the large windows are open, and the fresh lake breeze passes by, bringing with it a burst of water vapor and the vast smoke, making people feel like they are cleansing away the dust.
Two men in simple clothes were looking at the chessboard on the desk in front of them motionlessly. The man on the left put his hand on his forehead and stared directly at the corner of the chessboard, as if he was concentrating on thinking about how to deal with it. The man on the right had a solemn expression on his face. His eyes were a little erratic, as if he was distracted.
This is a game popular in the Tang area. It is called Xiangqi. Together with Black and White, it is also known as the two major game techniques in the Eastern Continent. It is said to have evolved based on the conflict between the Chu and Han dynasties thousands of years ago. The game is a game in which both sides have the same size and number of chess pieces, separated by different colors, and fight according to certain walking rules. It is extremely popular within the Tanghe Empire and has a great influence in other areas of the Eastern Continent.
The chessboard is divided into two halves, separated by a chasm in the middle. The border between Chu and Han is marked on it, marking the territories of both sides. There are also two interesting sentences engraved on the outer edge of the chessboard, "When attacking with artillery, there is defense, and on the screen, horses are soft." "Can overcome strength." It can be seen that the game between the two has entered the endgame stage, and the outer edge of the chessboard is filled with chess pieces that have been eliminated.
"Juetian, your two-horse trap move is really powerful. You are advancing step by step, and you don't even give me a chance to breathe. You have made my carriage and horse useless. It seems that I am going to die in this round. I'm tired." The man on the left looked like he was thinking hard and seemed a little unconvinced.
"Your Majesty, the tiger must be tied tightly. Once the tiger is out of trouble, it will be difficult to trap it again." The man in green robe on the right seemed to have something to say, and there was a faint hint of worry on his cheek. It won’t go away.
"Jue Tian seems to have something on his mind? Could it be that he is worried about Li Wufeng's actions in the north?" The man in yellow robe on the left glanced at his minister of state, picked up an official with two fingers and turned away the other's heart. horse.
"Your Majesty, don't you think that Li Wufeng's battle in the north is not only related to the changes in the entire northern war situation, but also closely related to us?" The man in green robe immediately hung up his other horse at an angle, locking the opponent's handsome man again.
"Why can't I feel it? Li Wufeng is now at the peak of his military power. He has gathered troops in the north on such a large scale. It is obvious that he wants to remove the Kaman people, the biggest stumbling block for him to take over the Central Plains. This battle can be said to be a decisive battle. It determines the general trend of the entire north, and the general trend of the north is naturally closely related to our south, and we are worried about gains and losses." Sighing slightly, the man in the yellow robe is naturally Machi Khan Bixili, and Yihong Lake in Yuejing Province has always been his favorite He has fallen in love with this place since it fell into his hands, especially in the middle of winter. The warm and humid lake breeze makes people feel many times better than the dry climate in Mulberry City. Unknowingly, , it has become an important palace for the Maji Khan to spend the winter.
"Then why does Your Majesty not agree to our offensive on the peninsula and Sanjiang? At the very least, we can contain part of Li Wufeng's troops so that he does not dare to fight against the Kaman people with all his strength. Is it possible that His Majesty is still afraid of angering Li Wufeng?" Lei Juetian raised his voice. Thick black eyebrows raised his voice and asked.
"Juetian seems a little impetuous. This is not in line with your usual style. Whether you anger Li Wufeng or not, Li Wufeng will be our life and death enemy. This relationship will not be transferred under any conditions. He also knows this, and we are the same Understand. I know Jue Tian has some complaints about me not approving the dispatch of troops, but I didn’t disagree with the dispatch. Hasn’t the mobilization of the army been completed? Do you think the purpose of mobilizing the army is to mobilize for the sake of mobilization?" The corner of his mouth was filled with anger. With a smile on his face, Bixili's face was soaked with some melancholy.
"Then what are you waiting for, Your Majesty? Didn't Li Wufeng put his newly formed Sixth Army on the Sanjiang front? That could just be the target of our operation. And Li Wufeng only has one Fourth Army in the peninsula. We can definitely consider two approaches. Attack. Let Li Wufeng also experience the dilemma of multi-front combat." Lei Juetian was uncharacteristically eager, and even he discovered his gaffe.
"Juetian, there are some things you should be aware of. Haste makes waste. We have annexed many places in the past few years. Although our comprehensive strength has risen to several levels, if we want to completely stifle the opposition forces in these places and destroy them It still takes time to use the power for his own use. Li Wufeng does have time now. We also need time. He needs time to get rid of all the fetters and send troops to the Central Plains. We need time to digest several areas as soon as possible. This is originally We are already on the right track, but I didn’t expect that Li Wufeng would take such big and fast steps. Hey, if Li Wufeng could slow down his actions for the first half of a year, or if the Kaman people could be stronger and support them longer, Then we should be much more relaxed, but time is running out now. Li Wufeng doesn't want to give us a chance to breathe. He just wants to use the time we have to breathe and digest to carry out his plan. Once the situation in the north is determined, the Central Plains will be within easy reach for him. No one can stop his march eastward, and neither can we."
At this point, Bixili already sighed, "We and Li Wufeng are both racing against time. We want more time to digest what we have gained, while he wants to get ahead of time and remove all obstacles that stand in his way. , but it’s a pity that we always seem to be half a beat behind Li Wufeng.”
"Your Majesty, it is precisely because we were half a beat too slow that we absolutely cannot let Li Wufeng clear the surrounding obstacles so smoothly. Once the Kaman people lose the ability to restrain Li Wufeng, then Li Wufeng will be even more unscrupulous, and our good life will be ruined. It's the end, we will have to face this behemoth alone, so in my opinion, no matter what, we have to help the Kaman people in this battle!" Lei Juetian's words were decisive at the end. .
"Juetian, I understand your thoughts, but you also know that the old people in our country are short-sighted and think that we are expanding too fast and consuming a lot of money and food from the country, but the country does not seem to have received much tangible benefits. It is affordable, so I have repeatedly proposed that we should recuperate first and wait for the time to mature before making progress. The opposition of this force is not small, and even I have to pretend to listen to their opinions seriously. After all, they represent very important people in our local area. A force.”
Bi Xili looked a little hesitant and said realistically that if he relied on his own prestige and strength, it would not be impossible to suppress this voice. However, Bi Xili also noticed that due to the excessive expansion speed of his country, it was included in the management of his country. A considerable part of the land and people are incompatible with the Machihan tribe where they live. Although they have adopted various means to alleviate ethnic conflicts and promote ethnic integration, these ethnic groups may have succumbed to the rule of their own country on the surface, but deep down they are The feeling of contempt for their own people as barbarians has not changed. In contrast, Li Wufeng's expansion process has been much smoother. With the advancement of Tanghe civilization and his superiority among surrounding ethnic groups, he has the backing of force. The pace of expansion not only won him land and population, but also won people's hearts and support, which he could not match. Although he has a lot of land and people in his hands, if he wants to easily surrender these people, it will not take one or two days or one or two policies to achieve results.
Do I really want to have another big contest with Li Wufeng face to face? This question has been lingering in Bi Xili's heart. He has to admit that Li Wufeng may be his biggest enemy and even the biggest threat to realize his grand hegemony in the future, but Li Wufeng's next goal is obviously to point to the Central Plains. The Central Plains is so good. Of? After all, there are too many variables behind this. Do I really have to get involved in this war? Is it possible to hide and sit aside and watch? Neither Situ Tai nor Situ Yuan are easy-going people. Once they find out that Li Wufeng has an intention to advance eastward, will they still stare at each other and bite each other like two mad dogs? Will they join forces again to deal with Li Wufeng? Bi Xili hoped that there would be such a result, so that he could get more breathing time in the future. He was even willing to provide some help to the Situ brothers, as long as they could realize that Li Wufeng was their most dangerous enemy.
But this is just his wishful thinking. As Jue Tian said, Li Wufeng will not just sit back and watch the Situ brothers form an alliance. There are too many cards in his hand. Any one of them can turn the situation in the Central Plains upside down. He can't think of it. It's just a very unlikely guess.
Lei Juetian was also trying to figure out Bixili's thoughts. In his opinion, His Majesty seemed to be a little indecisive this time. He could not understand such an obvious reason why His Majesty could not make up his mind. However, he also knew that His Majesty's views sometimes differed from his own. The perspectives are different, and such differences are inevitable, but he hopes that the other party will eventually see this clearly, especially after Bixili issued the military mobilization order.
The two people's eyes finally met at the top of the chessboard. They speculated and exchanged opinions, and finally landed on the chessboard. The outcome depended on it. Maybe they really had no choice, but were Juetian's views and decisions this time really correct? ? Bixili, who had never doubted his minister of state, suddenly had such an ominous omen in his heart.