In the mountains east of Niangzi Pass, the Youzhou Army camp was ablaze with fire like stars. Xiao Siwen stared at the night sky in a daze, and still didn't feel it was lively at this time, because except for the winding military camp in the mountains, the vast mountains were dark and almost uninhabited.
He looked to the west, and there was a nighttime mountain wind howling in front of him, but he could not see anything; only the scouts yesterday had sent a message that there was a large Zhou army at Niangzi Pass ahead. At this moment, Xiao Siwen had the intuition that he was trekking in the desert, approaching an oasis town but unable to move forward.
The swaying bonfire illuminated Xiao Abudi's face. The firelight was bright but weak, and the light and dark were obvious at different distances, forming a sense of hierarchy. His face was very clear in front of the firelight, with sharp edges and corners, dirt and black mud between the weathered texture of his skin, and grass seeds on his shaggy light beard; but the places slightly away from the firelight were dim and blurry, not very clear, and the things farther away were just a dark shadow.
Xiao Abudi shook his head and made a helpless expression: I remembered something. A brother in the tribe said there was a tiger in the nearby mountains, and we agreed to go hunting together the next morning. But when I got up the next day and was ready to go out, I ran into that brother; he told me that he had killed the tiger and carried it back.
The people sitting around the fire wanted to laugh, but couldn't, and looked at each other in confusion.
Someone said in a deep voice: I heard that Guo the blacksmith is a monster. It is really horrifying to think about the many headless corpses left behind in the Battle of Zhuozhou.
After hearing this, Xiao Siwen suddenly felt a gust of cold wind blowing on his face, and he almost shivered. When he listened again, he could hear the sound of the wind whistling in the dark shadows of the mountains, as if there was really a monster roaring in the mountains.
He immediately said: Only ignorant fools would believe such nonsense. Blacksmith Guo is just a human being.
Those sitting next to them were all people of status in Youzhou, and they all nodded in agreement after hearing what he said.
Xiao Siwen said: "It's just that this person really should not be underestimated." He immediately remembered the incredible and sudden fall of Jinyang in the Battle of Zhuozhou, and continued, "He is probably a powerful figure that has not appeared in the Central Plains for hundreds of years. Once such a person appears and now holds power, the world will definitely be turned upside down. It's time for our entire Khitan tribe to be on high alert."
Xiao A said in confusion: Is it really that powerful
Xiao Siwen frowned and said: What we have done are things that ordinary people can't even think of. Just like now, we have never even thought about who can capture the heavily defended Jinyang in half a month.
Yes. That was the crowd's agreement in the Khitan language.
Xiao Siwen pondered for a long time, as if he saw a group of wild beasts on the grassland surrounding a leader. He felt that Guo Shao was the leader among the Han people. There were many people in the Han people, and there were all kinds of people. Every once in a while, there would always be a person who was different from ordinary people.
Give the order to withdraw the troops tomorrow. Xiao Siwen looked back and said, now that Jinyang has been lost, there is no possibility of fighting for the Northern Han Kingdom. We must make preparations early to prepare to protect Youzhou.
A general frowned and said: Your Majesty thinks that Blacksmith Guo is preparing to attack Youzhou
Xiao Siwen nodded vigorously: Northern Han is a small country but not a weak country. Guo the blacksmith can take it as easily as taking something out of his bag. He will definitely be more confident. In addition, the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun have always been the scar of the Central Plains. Recovering it is also their greatest wish. Guo the blacksmith will definitely think about this place day and night.
Xiao Siwen frowned and said seriously: The Great Liao must do its utmost to protect Youzhou. Youzhou is also of vital importance to the Great Liao.
First of all, the climate in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun is warmer and the land is more fertile than that on the grassland, which provides the Liao Dynasty with a large amount of food, salt, tea, cloth, utensils and other necessities. Without this place, the Liao Dynasty will face material shortages, which will lead to turmoil.
Secondly, Hedong has been lost, and Youyun is the only outpost of the Liao Dynasty entering the Central Plains. Once Youzhou is lost, the offensive and defensive positions will change, causing extremely long-term effects. The grassland will lose its active advantage over the Central Plains and will easily be at a disadvantage.
There are other reasons. Some Khitan nobles are too arrogant to admit them, but people of insight accept them. Otherwise, the Liao Dynasty would not have appointed Han officials to change the official system, and there would not have been a southern city in Shangjing specifically for Han people to live in. The Central Plains surpasses all ethnic groups in many areas such as laws, regulations, and craftsmanship. We have Youzhou, which not only allows us to employ Youzhou Han people, but also opens up easier exchanges with the Central Plains, making it easier for the Liao Dynasty to learn from the Central Plains.
Xiao Siwen looked around and saw that the generals looked a little confused. He didn't care. In this world, people with real insight and wisdom are not everywhere.
But he firmly believed in his own wisdom, and immediately said firmly: Anyone with a sense of justice should recognize that Youzhou is extremely important and worth the whole country's efforts to preserve.
Abudi looked at him with admiration and complained: Your Majesty is wholeheartedly concerned about the country, but others may not be grateful to you.
Xiao Siwen stared at Abudi's face and said sternly: We are Khitans and nobles of the Liao Dynasty. This matter concerns the fate of the country.
Xiao Siwen was not only thinking about the future of the Liao Kingdom, but also about his own future. How can a person not consider himself? But some things can be brought to the table and said openly, such as worrying about the country; some things cannot be said out loud and can only be thought about by oneself.
The first thing he thought of was the threat from the Liao Emperor Yelu Jing. There was an objective contradiction between Xiao Siwen and Yelu Jing, which was why Yelu Jing often sent people to observe him. The emperor did not dare to touch him casually, and the contradiction had not yet intensified. However, Xiao Siwen had to consider: he was the King of the Southern Courtyard and the highest person in charge of the Youyun area. If he really lost the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, Yelu Jing would definitely take the opportunity to get rid of him legitimately.
The fundamental contradiction between Xiao Siwen and Yelu Jing is the issue of the camps and factions of the previous generation.
The eldest son of Liao Taizu Yelü Abaoji, Liao Yizong, never actually ascended the throne. The resentment between the two major factions, the posthumous emperor and the second son Liao Taizong, is the root cause of the factions and chaos in the Liao Kingdom today.
Xiao Siwen belonged to the Xiao clan, which was not a royal family of the Liao Dynasty, but was the most important aristocratic family of the Liao Dynasty. It was the family designated by the Liao Dynasty royal family for marriage, and was the home of the prime ministers of the Liao Dynasty; all the prime ministers of the Shangjing North Courtyard were surnamed Xiao.
The Xiao family and the Yelu family were mainly allies, and the Xiao family itself had little to do with the factional conflicts of the Yelu family. But when it comes to specific people, it is inevitable that they are involved, and Xiao Siwen cannot escape the connection.
His uncle had served as prime minister of Liao during the reign of Taizu, who was on the side of Emperor Yizong of Liao, Taizu's eldest son. Later, the descendants of Taizong and the descendants of Yizong repeatedly fought for power, and Xiao Siwen was caught in the middle of it. Now, Yelu Jing, who sat on the throne, was the eldest son of Emperor Taizong of Liao, and Xiao Siwen's factional position on the Yizong faction was obviously going to be questioned.
In order to make his position clear and ease the conflict, Xiao Siwen married his eldest daughter Xiao Huanian to the current emperor's younger brother, Prince Taiping; and in a gesture of not participating in the power struggle of the Yelu family, he married his second daughter to Prince Zhao, the younger brother of Yelu Xianyi Zong's grandson, as a balance. However, this move increased the current emperor's concerns about him.
He still had a daughter who was not married yet and was not yet an adult. Her name was Xiao Chuo, and her nickname was Yanyan.
Xiao Siwen knew what was going on. After placing his bets on both sides, he used the marriage to consolidate his position, but he did not let the conflict escalate. However, if something big happened, given Yelu Jing's suspicion and brutality, he would be in great danger.
He pondered for a long time, rubbed his chin with his hand for a while, and sighed.
The victory message had already been sent to Tokyo by express horse. There was not much celebration in Tokyo because the emperor was still at the front. However, the congratulatory memorials from the court were discussed enthusiastically in the government, which was the change brought about by the victory. It was also circulated among the people in the market. After all, Jinyang was not far from Tokyo, and it was a well-known place that had posed a huge threat to Tokyo for many years. The people were also very concerned about this matter.
The reputation of Longcheng has the greatest influence on Tokyo. In the past, if people from Longcheng wanted to rule the Central Plains, they had to fight their way to Tokyo.
On the wooden building of the Longcheng Teahouse under the half moon, a round-bellied man said this in a heavy voice, with all kinds of strong emotions in his tone.
Another man put down the nuts in his hand and said: In addition to conquering Longcheng in half a month, he also destroyed the entire Shu Kingdom in two months and the entire Southern Tang in a few months. It is said that since the emperor led the army, he has never been defeated. The ancient god of war is no more than this.
The round-bellied man said: The emperor has long been like a god of war in the imperial guards.
The man just now frowned and shook his head. Have you ever thought that the emperor might not be an ordinary person, but the reincarnation of a god
Several people present immediately showed awe and mystery on their faces. They had never seen ghosts and gods, but no one forced them not to believe in them. Even the Taoist priests who summoned spirits and ghosts at various sacrifices and funerals did not deny the existence of gods. Almost everyone had the thought that it was better to believe in gods than not to believe in them.
The round-bellied man seemed to have practiced martial arts and was relatively knowledgeable about military affairs. At that time, fat people were all from wealthy families, otherwise they could not afford to keep fat; in troubled times, wealthy families all loved to practice martial arts. He pondered and said: I heard that when the current emperor was still a general of the imperial army, he became famous for shooting Zhang Yuanhui, the most powerful general of the Northern Han Dynasty, to death with one arrow. The current emperor is good at shooting, and can use a giant bow of twelve stones, and can shoot leaves three hundred steps away.
Everyone stared at him with wide eyes, and no one disbelieved. They didn't even know what a twelve-stone bow looked like, but to kill a famous general with one arrow in the midst of thousands of troops was something very magical and significant in everyone's eyes.
The round-bellied man said in a deep voice: Ordinary people are not so good at shooting. Could the emperor be the reincarnation of Hou Yi
Everyone was shocked. The people in the four seats of the teahouse were attracted and looked sideways. Some even gathered around curiously to listen.
Someone on the seat said: Houyi can shoot down nine suns.
The round-bellied man said disapprovingly: Hou Yi was originally a god of war, so a true god is certainly more powerful. The current emperor is a true god reincarnated into the mortal world, how can he possess all the magic power
Everyone thought it made sense and nodded in agreement: That makes sense.