[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse":3,"chapter-from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-chapter-167":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","From Special Forces to the Multiverse",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2315217,4527,"Chapter 167","from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-chapter-167",167,"\u003Cp>Minister of Revenue Xu Chiguo spoke first. This elderly minister, who managed the Jin treasury, was famed for his shrewd calculations—no one balanced accounts more precisely than he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I shall say something unpleasant,” he rose, his voice dry and flat. “Han Tuozhou’s northern campaign is ultimately about seizing territory. He attacks, we repel him; if we win, he retreats, signs another peace treaty, pays tribute again, and life goes on. If we lose, it’s just ceding a few prefectures, paying a few million taels of silver. Since the founding of Great Jin, how many wars have we fought with the Southern Court? Back and forth—it’s always the same thing. Han Tuozhou’s goal is to recover ancestral lands and erase humiliation, not to destroy Great Jin. He lacks both the capability and the ambition. To put it bluntly, if the Song truly had the power to destroy Great Jin, it would have been us, not them, that fell in the Jingkang era.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words were harsh, yet no one in the hall contradicted him. Eight decades of standoff between Jin and Song had left both sides intimately aware of each other’s weaknesses. The Southern Song’s northern campaigns were not new—each began with roaring momentum, then collapsed from supply shortages, discord among generals, and rising peace factions in court, ending in stalemate. Han Tuozhou’s resolve may be stronger than his predecessors’, but the Southern Song’s national strength, military system, and logistical infrastructure were laid bare—they could not wage a war of annihilation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But,” Xu Chiguo shifted tone, his voice sinking, “that organization to the north is another matter entirely. They swallowed the steppe, swallowed Western Xia—not to seize a few pastures or force a vassal tribute treaty. From their actions, their goal is to forge an entirely new political entity, unlike any steppe regime before them. They want no tribute, no submission—they want the whole world. To such people, Great Jin’s very existence is an obstacle. They don’t seek our gold; they seek our lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his head, and a flicker of fear passed through his clouded old eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, I have headed the Ministry of Revenue for fifteen years, and I have always spoken only of grain and coin, never of warfare. But today I dare to speak beyond my station—we may lose ten times to the Southern Court, and Great Jin will still be Great Jin. But we cannot lose once to that organization. One defeat, and Great Jin ceases to exist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanyan Anguo spoke next. As Vice Minister of the Privy Council, he oversaw military deployments and knew the troop dispositions along every front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can fully corroborate Minister Xu’s words from a military standpoint,” he stepped to the map, pointing with a bamboo rod. “Our current deployments: roughly 120,000 troops along the northern frontier wall, primarily defending against the steppe; 80,000 along the western Shaanxi front, guarding against Western Xia and the Southern Song’s Sichuan direction; and roughly 150,000 along the southern front against Song—covering Tongguan, Henan, Huaibei, and Shandong. Total forces: around 350,000. Looks substantial, but spread across three fronts, each is critically thin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drew a circle with his bamboo rod over the northern and western fronts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we judge the steppe as the primary threat, we must reinforce both northern and western fronts. Twelve thousand on the northern front is far too few against an enemy that has absorbed the steppe tribes and integrated Western Xia’s army. I estimate we need at least 200,000 just to hold the frontier wall. The western front also needs reinforcements—Western Xia is no longer a buffer, but an enemy’s launchpad. That means we must draw troops from the southern front.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struck the southern front sharply with his bamboo rod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once we strip the southern front, against Han Tuozhou’s northern campaign, we can only defend—and must prepare to lose portions of our territory. I am not exaggerating—if we commit all our main forces to the north and west, the southern front becomes half-open. Han Tuozhou advances on three fronts with no fewer than 200,000 troops. Can we hold with less than 100,000? Can Tongguan be held? Can the Henan prefectures be held? All unknowns.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set down the bamboo rod, turned to Wanyan Jing, his voice heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I still say: even so, we must commit our main forces to the north. Because if we lose a few prefectures in the south, we still have the Yellow River, Hebei, and Zhongdu. But if the northern front breaks, the steppe cavalry will face the open plains of Hebei. From the frontier wall to Zhongdu, with full gallop, they need only five days. Five days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held up five fingers—his hand steady as stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, Great Jin cannot afford to gamble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiagu Heng had said nothing. As Left Chancellor, he was the highest-ranking minister after the emperor. He remained silent for a long time, until all eyes turned to him, then spoke slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Every word you’ve spoken is reasonable,” he said, each syllable forced as if squeezed through clenched teeth. “But there is one question none of you have considered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Wanyan Honglie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Prince Zhao says we must determine who our true enemy is. Minister Xu says the steppe is a threat to our survival, the Southern Song a wound to our flesh. General Wanyan says we must commit our main forces to the north. I agree with all these assessments.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But does Han Tuozhou agree?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall fell silent again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiagu Heng continued: “Does Han Tuozhou not know we have a powerful enemy to the north? He knows. Why then does he still launch his northern campaign? Not because he is foolish—quite the opposite. He is clever. He intends to strike us from the south while we are distracted by the north. He seeks the Central Plains, the glory of reclaiming the two capitals. If we shift all our main forces north, leaving the southern front exposed, he will march straight in, seize Kaifeng, capture Luoyang, even reach the Yellow River. What then? Our northern enemy has not yet arrived, but our southern enemy is already at the Yellow River. Great Jin will be crushed between two fronts, unable to defend head or tail—that is the true path to annihilation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rose, stepped before Wanyan Honglie, and met his eyes directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Prince Zhao, I do not disagree with your assessment. I say this: assessment is one thing, execution is another. Strategically, we must prioritize the north. But tactically, we must never let Han Tuozhou believe our southern front is weak. Otherwise, he will become a shark that smells blood—and he will not let go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanyan Honglie fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: “Minister Jiagu is right. So we must do two things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to Wanyan Jing and bowed: “Your Majesty, I humbly request: first, immediately reinforce the northern and western fronts with all available mobile forces. Strengthen the frontier wall and Shaanxi defenses at all costs. Second, toward the Southern Song, we must project an image—make Han Tuozhou believe our southern front remains heavily garrisoned, so he dares not strike. I have a plan for this posture, but I require Your Majesty’s authorization.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanyan Jing looked at him: “Speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanyan Honglie drew a deep breath, and uttered the proposal that turned every face in the hall pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I humbly request, Your Majesty, that you send me personally to Lin’an to negotiate with Han Tuozhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No!” Tuandan Yi leapt to his feet first. “Prince Zhao, you are a Jin prince—how can you go to Lin’an yourself? What if the Song detain you—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Precisely why I must go,” Wanyan Honglie interrupted, his tone as calm as if discussing lunch. “Only a prince going personally can convince Han Tuozhou that our southern front is solid, unshaken. If we send a minister of vice-minister rank, he will think we are mocking him—and it will harden his resolve to invade. I go, and he hesitates. He hesitates one month, we gain one month to fortify the north. He hesitates three months, we can fully reorganize the Shaanxi defenses. He hesitates half a year, the hammering from Helan Mountain stops, and our northern front is ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Tuandan Yi, a faint smile touching his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, Minister Tuandan—do you think Han Tuozhou dares to detain me? If he does, it is total war with Great Jin. He wants to recover ancestral lands, not total war. He cannot afford to gamble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanyan Jing fell silent for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The candle flames in the hall flickered, casting shifting shadows on every face. Outside, the wind rose—the dry, hard wind of late autumn in Zhongdu—whipping fallen leaves along the palace steps into a rustling chorus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Wanyan Jing spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Approved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rose, descended the imperial steps, and walked to the map. He studied it long, his gaze sweeping from the northern frontier wall to the Yellow River, then over Kaifeng, past Huaijiang, finally settling on Lin’an. That tiny dot on the map—no bigger than a fingernail—was a thorn stuck in Jin’s back, impossible to pull out, impossible to swallow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My ministers,” Wanyan Jing’s voice was soft, yet every word rang clear in the hall. “I have reigned fifteen years—I do not believe myself a foolish ruler. But since the founding of Great Jin, we have never faced such a situation—north, a tiger; south, a wolf; and our quiver holds fewer than four hundred thousand arrows.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to face the ministers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But we must still fight. Not because Great Jin is warlike—but because Great Jin has no retreat. The northern enemy wants no tribute, no submission—they want our state. The southern enemy wants our land. Land lost can be reclaimed; if the state is lost, nothing remains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He returned to the dragon throne, placed his hands on his knees, spine straight as a spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Edict: reinforce the northern frontier wall to 200,000 troops; reinforce the western Shaanxi front to 150,000 troops. All construction, grain, and arms shall be coordinated by Xu Chiguo—no errors permitted. On the southern front against Song, retain 100,000 troops, withdraw to the line of Kaifeng, Guide, and Xuzhou—defend, do not attack. Wanyan Honglie shall proceed to Lin’an to buy time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This war, Great Jin must fight for time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late autumn in Zhongdu carried the chill of winter. The walls of Daxing Prefecture loomed dark in twilight, like a crouching beast. Along the northern frontier wall, beacon towers flared one after another—fires forming a thin red line against the dusk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thousand li away, in Lin’an, Han Tuozhou inspected his northern expeditionary army—flags blotting out the sun, drums shaking the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>",1781,"2026-06-20T13:48:22.834Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","98ab6425f7998e9b439fb6c0d7d10e10249a71076ca52374954efebc8e990a3f","from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-chapter-168","from-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-chapter-166",205,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffrom-special-forces-to-the-multiverse-cover.jpg"]