Chapter 1115

If someone else had said this to him, Xue Daohong would have already slammed the table in anger, but hearing these words from Li Chen Zhou he actually took them to heart, sighed, and said: "I never expected Qin Yangming to be such a pushover, gathering nearly seventy thousand troops, yet not only failing to capture Dongliang Jun, he lost East Lu Granary to Hu Xiaotian, and this good-for-nothing was even captured himself. Li Chen Zhou! East Lu Granary is a vital stronghold in Da Yong's southeast; it must be retaken. This time you must personally lead the troops and help me regain this face."

Li Chen Zhou said respectfully: "Your Majesty, do you think that even if we retake East Lu Granary, the supplies and weapons there would still remain intact?"

Xue Daohong stared for a moment, then slowly shook his head. Hu Xiaotian is no fool; he would never wait for them to regroup and attack East Lu Granary again. By the time their army is ready to assault, East Lu Granary will likely have been emptied by Hu Xiaotian, or even burned down, leaving them with nothing. Thinking of this, fury rose in him: "If I don't kill this person, I cannot eat or sleep in peace!"

Li Chen Zhou said: "Your Majesty, Tang Bohui's attack on Dongliang Jun was our side violating the agreement first, while Hu Xiaotian's seizure of East Lu Granary was Dakang tearing up the bilateral accord; the justification lies with us."

Xue Daohong said: "Dakang? A dying weak state; I can destroy it anytime!"

Li Chen Zhou whispered: "Your Majesty, the Black Hu are mustering troops in the north, and it is likely they plan a southern invasion come spring."

"What?" Xue Daohong widened his eyes. Having just ascended the throne, he now faced one trouble after another, and his mood grew ever heavier.

Li Chen Zhou said: "Matters have priorities; solving them does not necessarily require war. Hu Xiaotian's two victories stem from his tactics and his situation. Your Majesty should know the principle that desperate troops are bound to win. The court sidelined Hu Xiaotian and posted him to Dongliang Jun, which is practically exile; upon arrival he had no retreat. Coincidentally, just then Tang Bohui led troops to attack, forcing Hu Xiaotian to fight with all his might. With his back to the river, this brought out the full courage of his troops."

Xue Daohong frowned and asked: "What? You're also speaking for him?"

Li Chen Zhou said: "Your Majesty, it's not that I'm speaking for him; rather, after his two consecutive victories he has established a triangular zone. East Lu Granary, Dongliang Jun, and Wuxing Commandery support each other, and having seized East Lu Granary he now possesses ample supplies and materiel as a base, so his strength has undergone a qualitative leap."

Xue Daohong said: "Even if his strength has grown, could I still not destroy him?"

Li Chen Zhou said: "It can be destroyed, but it would inevitably exact a considerable cost. Moreover, if Hu Xiaotian cannot withstand the pressure, he could retreat to Wuxing Commandery. Even if we succeeded in retaking the two cities north of the river, we would still incur a significant loss." He paused and said: "Your Majesty, many officials in court already harbor resentment. If we launch a city‑seizing campaign now, even if we quickly take both cities that would be fine, but if the fighting drags on, rumors will surely spread throughout the realm, which would not benefit Your Majesty."

Xue Daohong took a breath. He had been fixated on regaining face, eager to retake East Lu Granary and occupy Dongliang Jun, even contemplating crossing the river southward, but Li Chen Zhou's words doused him like cold water, and he began to calm. Indeed, raising troops is easy, yet if victory does not come quickly and the fight stagnates, would it not invite mockery from some ministers? He has only just ascended the throne, already launched three wars, lost two; even if he won the third, should he suffer comparable losses, his prestige would suffer. Moreover, the Bei Jiang Black Hu are already stirring, and with winter setting in, this is hardly the ideal time for war. After pondering, he asked: "According to you, how should we respond?"

Li Chen Zhou said: "The highest strategy is to thwart plans, next to undermine alliances, then to fight troops, and last to besiege cities. Since the situation in the southeast has settled, Your Majesty would do well to pursue diplomacy: send an envoy to Kangdu to meet the Emperor of Dakang, accuse him of breaking the two‑nation treaty, of seizing our vital stronghold, and declare Long Xuan'en incompetent and useless, so he will hardly dare to confront Da Yong head‑on. We can then pressure him into issuing an edict demanding that Hu Xiaotian return East Lu Granary with both hands."

Xue Daohong said: "I fear he may not comply!"

Li Chen Zhou said: "Given Dakang's present strength, Long Xuan'en will have no choice but to obey; we should demand not only the return of East Lu Granary, but also that he give back Dongliang Jun to us."

Xue Daohong said: "I doubt he will agree."

Li Chen Zhou smiled: "Dakang, strained by famine, can be lured with a grain‑for‑land deal; our true aim is to cut off Hu Xiaotian's support at the root."

Xue Daohong's eyes lit up. If we could pressure Long Xuan'en diplomatically to submit, we might avoid armed clash altogether; if we truly achieve our wish, the face lost in our two defeats to Hu Xiaotian would be fully recovered. He nodded, yet with some concern he asked: "Hu Xiaotian is clearly aiming to carve out his own domain; what if he refuses to obey Long Xuan'en's orders?"

Li Chen Zhou said: "If he refuses, that is open rebellion, and Long Xuan'en will not spare him. Your Majesty, why fixate on him? What a dog snatches away can be reclaimed from its master, don't you think?"

By now Xue Daohong fully grasped Li Chen Zhou's meaning. Indeed, he is presently unsuited to restart hostilities; victory would be welcome, but should the campaign falter, his governing ability would surely be questioned by the populace. Having only just ascended the throne, he would inevitably be measured against the late emperor, and Xue Daoming himself knows his abilities fall short of his father's. Therefore, holding power and securing the people's obedience is paramount; Li Chen Zhou's proposal to resolve the crisis through diplomacy is an excellent choice.

Xue Daohong said: "But who should we send to Kangdu?"

Li Chen Zhou volunteered: "Your servant lacks talent, but I am willing to personally go to Kangdu as an envoy, meet Prince Kang, strive to settle this smoothly, and relieve Your Majesty's worries."

Xue Daohong nodded: "Good! Chen Zhou, thank you for your effort!"

Li Chen Zhou secretly thought: This trip to Kangdu happens to be a chance to meet his father, whom he has never seen; he wonders how the old man's health is now, whether he is well. Thinking of the impending father‑son reunion, his heart stirred with excitement.

Li Chen Zhou added: "Your Majesty still needs a two‑pronged approach; my mission to Kangdu is one part, and we must also send an envoy to Dongliang Jun."

Xue Daohong said: "You mean I should take the initiative to negotiate with him?"

Li Chen Zhou shook his head: "The purpose of the envoy is to gauge Hu Xiaotian's true strength; if we can make him submit, that would be best, but to discern his real intentions we could ostensibly offer high office and titles while secretly seeking to win him over."

Xue Daohong nodded: "If he is willing to submit to Da Yong, I might consider giving him a way out, forgiving his past offenses; the only question is who to send."

Li Chen Zhou said: "Prince Yan seems to be sworn brothers with Hu Xiaotian."

Xue Daohong said: "I think so too."

Xue Daohong although wanted to let Xue Shengjing go to Dongliang Jun as an envoy, but Xue Shengjing seemed to have guessed his intention beforehand; after returning from the palace he took to bed with illness, said to be serious, unable to get out of bed and walk; Xue Daohong had long known this Imperial Uncle's cunning, so helplessly he could only think of someone else; unexpectedly, the Princess Imperial Elder Sister Xue Lingjun voluntarily offered herself for the mission to Dongliang Jun, and Xue Daohong without hesitation agreed to her request.

When Xue Lingjun arrived at Dongliang Jun, it was already the deep winter of the twelfth lunar month; although she had come all the way from the north, upon reaching the banks of the Yong River she felt the weather here was even colder than in Yongdu, because Yongdu's weather is dry, while Dongliang Jun, being close to the Yong River banks, is damp and cold in winter, making people feel very uncomfortable.

This time Xue Lingjun came to Dongliang Jun with a guard of five hundred; actually she originally did not want so many people to accompany her, but the Empress Dowager worried about her safety and insisted on taking full precautions. Xue Lingjun was not afraid that Hu Xiaotian would make things difficult for her; although Hu Xiaotian is crafty, he treats her not badly. Recalling what happened in Xizhou, the corner of Xue Lingjun's mouth curled into a tempting smile; she did not know whether Hu Xiaotian would bear a grudge because of past events, but logically he should not, for Hu Xiaotian's mind is not that narrow.

Although knowing Hu Xiaotian is capable, Xue Lingjun did not expect his ability to be this great; now he dares to break ground on Tai Sui's head, seizing Da Yong's Dongluo Storehouse; this time she comes representing Da Yong, indeed bearing a heavy responsibility; she wants to probe Hu Xiaotian's true intentions; before departure, Xue Daohong urged her to do her best to persuade Hu Xiaotian to submit; although Xue Lingjun readily agreed, she felt there was little chance, for Hu Xiaotian should be someone unwilling to remain subordinate.

Dongliang Jun had already again proceeding; on the official road one could see many passersby; after asking, one learned that most of them were people who had fled Dongliang Jun to escape the war, having thought Dongliang Jun would fall to the Yong army and thus abandoned their homes to avoid the flames, but who would have thought Hu Xiaotian would again defeat the Yong forces; as the coldest period of the year approaches, those who left home cannot smoothly enter Da Yong's territory and mostly choose to return to Dongliang Jun, these two days being the peak of their return.

Hu Xiaotian also treated these people according to the principle of free coming and going—he did not stop those who left, and welcomed with open arms those who returned. Moreover, after he successfully seized the Dongluo Storehouse, the long‑standing grain and forage problem that had troubled him was fundamentally solved; two consecutive victories against superior forces gave the people of Dongliang Jun confidence in this new city lord.

Only one day left until the month ends; everyone's monthly tickets will expire after today, so cast your vote for Zhangyu! (To be continued~^~)