Chapter 296: Emperor Tianzuo's ambition

Yelu Yanxi heard this and immediately curled his lips in disdain: "The Prime Minister is overthinking.

Those Southerners are as weak as sheep; even if they have changed a leader, the sheep are still sheep!

Hasn't the Song Dynasty, which prides itself on being orthodox, been sending us tribute for a hundred years?

Just wait for me to defeat the Southerners' new dynasty in one fell swoop and establish a great achievement unprecedented since the founding of our Great Liao!"

Yelu Yanxi's eyes, which looked like those of a hawk, were full of ambition.

Ever since a Southerner named Gao Jiye told him more than half a month ago that the Southerners had broken out into civil war,

and that the rebelling side was acting perversely and was despised by the vast gentry of the Central Plains,

and intended to invite him to enter the pass, a raging fire had been burning in his heart.

To enter the Central Plains!

This had been the long-cherished wish of the emperors of the Great Liao for a hundred years.

Unfortunately, although the previous Song Dynasty was also not good at fighting, it far surpassed their Great Liao in terms of defense,

and having no other choice, they signed the Chanyuan Alliance with them, and there had been no war for a hundred years.

Today, the time has come, and he, Yelu Yanxi, is leading his army south to destroy all the Southern forces in one fell swoop,

and incorporate the vast and wealthy land of the south into the rule of his Great Liao,

achieving a great achievement that surpasses his ancestors!

Thinking that he was about to become the Great Liao's founding ancestor, Yelu Abaoji, who surpassed the founding of the Great Liao,

and the Great Liao's Taizong, Yelu Deguang, who invaded the Central Plains several times, forced the Later Jin's Shi Jingtang to call himself the "Son Emperor,"

ascended the throne in Bianjing, the current capital of the Southerners, and captured the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun,

giving the Great Liao the strategic initiative, Yelu Yanxi felt a surge of excitement.

He waved the horse whip in his hand, which was inlaid with gold and jade, mixed with gold threads, and had many gems, looking exceptionally gorgeous, and said loudly:

"My Great Liao's sons, turn into gray wolves on the grassland!

Tear the throats of the Southern sheep, snatch their women, and occupy their land!

I promise in the name of the Emperor of the Great Liao that in this war, whoever captures Bianjing will be enfeoffed as a king and rewarded with ten thousand households!

After capturing Bianjing, all jewelry and beauties will belong to you, and the swords will not be sheathed for three days!"

"Long live the Majesty!"

"Long live the Majesty!"

"Defeat the Southerners, capture Bianjing!"

Having received Emperor Tianzuo's promise, the Liao soldiers cheered one after another,

their eyes flashing with a green, eerie light, the greed in which seemed to be about to turn directly into substance.

They couldn't wait to kill their way into Bianjing immediately, to grab money, grab grain, and grab women!

A hundred years without a major war had stifled them; they had to take this opportunity to have a good grab.

"Sons, set off!"

At Yelu Yanxi's command, the Liao army, which had no end in sight,

began to surge toward the territory of the former Great Song, now the Great Gan.

He, in high spirits, drove his precious horse to patrol everywhere in the center of the army.

"Sigh."

Regarding Emperor Tianzuo's stubbornness in exhausting the strength of the whole country,

Xiao Wuna couldn't help but sigh, his whole person full of worry.

Since ancient times, who among those who could create a new dynasty was easy to mess with?

Even the Great Song's Taizu and Taizong, whom their Great Liao had always looked down upon, didn't they lay the foundation for the Great Song for a hundred years,

causing the Great Liao to fail in many wars and eventually have to sign the Chanyuan Alliance as brotherly countries?

Moreover, the Great Liao was no longer the Great Liao that could invade the Central Plains three times.

Thinking of the Jin people who had risen in the White Mountains and Black Waters in recent years, he had a headache.

For some reason, seeing those rude and barbaric, but good at fighting, and fearless Jin people on the battlefield,

he inexplicably thought of the founding ancestor, Yelu Abaoji, who had led their Great Liao to rise.

Don't let them exhaust the country's strength to invade the Great Gan, only for the Jin people to pick up a bargain in the rear.

He had the heart to remonstrate, but with Emperor Tianzuo's character of being fond of great achievements, he could no longer listen.

The soldiers were also stirred up by Emperor Tianzuo's promise,

and if he were to insist on advising them to retreat at this time, even if he were the Prime Minister of the Great Liao, the outcome would probably not be good.

"Sigh!"

The worry in Xiao Wuna's heart grew deeper.

"Report!"

A scout came to the center of the army to report: "Informing Your Majesty, our army's vanguard has reached Yanmen Pass."

Yelu Yanxi immediately asked: "How is the defense of Yanmen Pass, is there a heavy army stationed there?"

The messenger knelt on one knee and answered respectfully:

"Returning to Your Majesty, there are no traces of a heavy army stationed at Yanmen Pass.

According to the analysis of the Prince of Lanling, the Southerners are in civil strife, and the garrison at Yanmen Pass is afraid that it has already been transferred away by the Song people."

Prince of Lanling, Xiao Fengxian, brother of Emperor Tianzuo's primary consort, served as Privy Commissioner,

and was now appointed by Emperor Tianzuo as the Great General for the Southern Expedition, serving as the vanguard of the Liao army.

"It is truly Heaven helping me!

Order the Prince of Lanling to launch a fierce attack on Yanmen Pass; I want to pass through Yanmen within three days!"

Yelu Yanxi heard this and was overjoyed, directly ordering.

Yanmen Pass is located between the Datong Basin and the Xinding Basin, at the narrowest part of the Hengshan Mountain range,

and is the throat passage connecting Datong in the north and Taiyuan in the south.

Once Yanmen Pass is captured, their Liao army can drive straight in, threatening Taiyuan and the Central Plains region.

It can be said that as long as Yanmen Pass is captured, his goal of entering the Central Plains will be more than half completed!

The reason he chose to attack from the western line, instead of the eastern line, which was more suitable for their Great Liao cavalry to fight,

was to play a time difference, taking advantage of the fact that the passes west of the Taihang Mountains had not yet been received by the Great Gan that replaced the Great Song,

capturing each pass in one fell swoop, and striking directly at the heart of the Great Gan, Bianjing!

Now it seems, it really did not exceed his expectations!

"Your Majesty, such an important pass as Yanmen Pass, yet so few people defending it, I fear there is a trap!"

Xiao Wuna, who had worries, stood out again to advise.

Yelu Yanxi, however, smiled and said with extraordinary confidence: "The Prime Minister is overthinking.

When our Great Liao's 700,000-strong army all enter the pass, what if there is a trap?"

Saying this, he clenched his fist suddenly: "In the face of absolute strength,

mere conspiracies are but minor paths."

"There is no ruler as wise and decisive as Your Majesty."

Xiao Wuna thought about it, and it seemed to be the truth.

700,000 troops are mighty, could it be that the Great Gan has the ability to eat them up in one breath?

If it really doesn't work, he would advise the Majesty to give up the idea of entering the Central Plains, and after entering the pass, grab a wave and run,

both reducing the Great Gan's war potential and accumulating materials for future expeditions against the Jin people.

A few days later, Xiao Fengxian, on whom Yelu Yanxi had placed high hopes, came to report with a dejected face:

"Your Majesty, the defense of Yanmen Pass is too strong, the sons, the sons simply cannot attack it!"

"Hmm?"

Yelu Yanxi, who was originally full of ambition and full of confidence in entering the Central Plains, couldn't help but frown:

"Didn't you say that the garrison on Yanmen Pass was sparse?"

If even Yanmen Pass cannot be captured, what is there to talk about entering the Central Plains?

"Informing Your Majesty."

Xiao Fengxian did not dare to hide it and immediately offered up a few items:

"The Southerners have a weapon with great power, which has a miraculous effect in defending the city."

"This is?"

Yelu Yanxi looked at the few deformed iron pipes in front of him, feeling some doubt and confusion.

"Your Majesty, these few pieces of armor were broken by the projectiles fired by this object."

Xiao Fengxian displayed the few pieces of armor that had been hit with several large holes in front of Yelu Yanxi.

"These Southerners actually have such a terrifying weapon?"

Looking at the several large holes in the armor that were transparent from inside to outside,

Yelu Yanxi couldn't help but worry for a moment, and the confidence in his heart diminished quite a bit. ===== CHAPTER 297 =====