Chapter 252: The Pawn

"It has been one hundred and fifty years since Sizong refused to submit to Great Song and raised an army to attack Song in Jincheng, hasn't it?" Tuoba Hao stroked his bald head.

His face, sharp as if carved by a knife, was full of unruliness.

Li Xin nodded.

The Tuoba clan was originally a surname of the Tangut people on the northwestern frontier of Great Song.

After Great Song was founded, the Tangut people chose to submit to Great Song and pay tribute every year.

The Emperor of Great Song then enfeoffed the Tangut chieftain at the time, Tuoba Huo, as the Xiliang King, to be inherited for generations.

Jincheng was occupied by the Tangut people during the wars between powerful clans at the end of the previous dynasty.

After Xiliang submitted, Great Song did not wish to intensify the conflict with Xiliang, so they tacitly accepted that Jincheng was the land of the Tangut people.

In these one hundred years.

The Tangut people, originally just a nomadic tribe in the northwest, actively learned the culture and systems of Great Song.

Xiliang grew stronger day by day.

Finally, when an ambitious Xiliang King, Tuoba Hun, appeared, he was no longer willing to submit to Great Song and raised the banner of rebellion.

To completely sever ties with Great Song, the founding Emperor of Xiliang, Tuoba Hun, ordered that all Xiliang people must keep their hair level with their ears, and all hair above the ears must be shaved off.

The hair hanging down was to be braided on both sides of the ears.

Besides this, Xiliang also abandoned the script of Great Song, changing all of Great Song's characters into Xiliang characters.

Tuoba Hun declaring himself Emperor infuriated the Emperor of Great Song.

Afterwards, a fierce war that lasted for thirty years with Xiliang broke out.

In this war, Great Song reclaimed Jincheng, which had belonged to the Central Plains dynasties for generations.

But because the Great Song soldiers were not accustomed to the climate and terrain of the northwest, it was difficult to continue advancing west.

And Tuoba Hun, who had lost Jincheng, died in depression due to the failure of the war.

He left behind a final wish, ordering every generation of Xiliang Emperors to make the recovery of Jincheng their own responsibility.

Afterwards, because they could not continue to expand eastward, Xiliang chose to expand to the Southwest, conquering many tribes in the Western Regions.

They gained a firm foothold in the gap between Gaochang and the Northern Di.

To strengthen the national power of Xiliang, Xiliang also formed the Shengqin Army.

The duty of the Shengqin Army was to capture the populations of conquered tribes alive.

It was precisely because of the existence of the Shengqin Army that the population of Xiliang had grown larger and larger over these one hundred and fifty years, and the national power had gradually become strong.

After Tuoba Hao ascended the throne, he chose to reuse the Great Song people within Xiliang.

It was against this background that he, a scholar of Great Song descent, gained the appreciation of Tuoba Hao and, over more than twenty years, rose to the position of Prime Minister.

"Your Majesty remembers correctly, it has been one hundred and fifty years." Li Xin bowed.

"One hundred and fifty years, my Xiliang's Jincheng has been lost for one hundred and fifty years; it is time for it to return to the embrace of our Xiliang." Tuoba Hao looked toward the east.

"Does Your Majesty decide to believe this letter?" Li Xin said.

Tuoba Hao crossed his arms and pondered, "We Xiliang have a proverb: if you don't know if there is a rabbit in the grass, poke it with a stick. Give Tuoba Wuji an order to lead an army of one hundred and fifty thousand to surround Jincheng. If the city gates are wide open, first send a small detachment of troops into the city to test them; if it is a trap, then retreat; if it is not a trap, then attack!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Xin responded and withdrew from the great hall.

Jincheng.

Sun Family Restaurant.

Cui Yan was in plain clothes. He glanced behind him, and seeing nothing unusual, he followed the waiter into the innermost private room of the restaurant.

Before closing the door, he poked his head out to look around again, only then sitting down at the table.

Opposite him, a slightly plump merchant in fine clothes was savoring Yanzhou Fine Wine.

Glancing at Cui Yan, he said, "Have a cup first; this is the new fine brew from Yanzhou at the restaurant."

"My ancestors, what mood do I have to drink now? My head is about to be gone soon." Cui Yan had a bitter expression.

He was originally a guest retainer who had joined the Dou Family.

In order to let him infiltrate the Great Song Imperial Guard.

The Dou Family deliberately expelled him from the Dou Family.

In fact, they secretly supported him. After he successfully entered the Imperial Guard frontier army, he was promoted repeatedly within a few years and became a Captain.

Later, he was transferred to Jincheng to defend against Xiliang.

Originally, he thought his life would just be spent muddling through in the Imperial Guard.

He did not expect that just a few days ago, the Dou Family found him.

They gave him a shocking task.

To coordinate with Xiliang from within and without to take Jincheng and defect to Xiliang.

"That is a huge mistake. The Xiliang Emperor has always treated defecting Great Song generals well. You have performed such a great service, he will surely reward you heavily. Perhaps he will even give you a few Xiliang beauties as concubines; why not do it?" the merchant said slowly.

"But, but if it fails, wouldn't my head be lost?" Cui Yan was agitated.

Seeing that Cui Yan was unwilling, the merchant's expression gradually turned cold.

He gave a light hum and said, "Do I need to remind you that you are carrying a murder case on your back? If this case is exposed, you will also lose your head."

Hearing this, Cui Yan's face suddenly turned as pale as paper.

The reason the Dou Family could manipulate him until now was because of this matter.

"Whether you are willing or not, the letter has been sent out. If the Xiliang army doesn't move, fine; but if they move, you must cooperate," the merchant said sternly.

Seeing Cui Yan's expression becoming increasingly ugly, his tone suddenly softened again.

"If you don't want to go to Xiliang, that's fine too. After the matter is done, you can take advantage of the chaos to escape from Jincheng. The Dou Family will give you a large sum of Silver, and in the future, if you change your name and hide your identity, you will still be able to live comfortably."

He paused and continued, "As for your mother and wife and children in Jingshi, you don't need to worry; the Dou Family will send them to your side." The merchant stood up, poured a cup of Wine for Cui Yan, and patted him on the shoulder.

Cui Yan was stunned, and finally nodded in silence.

Only now did he realize that the Dou Family, one of the Eight Great Influential Clans, lived up to its reputation.

They controlled every single chess piece tightly.

The merchant saying this was telling him that his own kin were also in the hands of the Dou Family.

With his life and death hanging in the balance, and his kin in Jingshi, the Dou Family had been so airtight in their actions that he truly had no way out.

Only by agreeing to the Dou Family's demands might he have a path to survival.

"I understand; I hope Prime Minister Dou will not go back on his word." Cui Yan drank the Wine in his cup in one gulp.

After drinking three cups of Wine in a row, Cui Yan slammed the wine cup down hard and rose to leave the restaurant.

The merchant tilted his head and smiled faintly.

He did not care at all; weren't these chess pieces that the Dou Family had painstakingly cultivated kept precisely for critical moments?

Otherwise, what use would there be in keeping them?

Whether this Cui Yan lived or died, he did not care in the slightest, so long as the Dou Family's goal was achieved.

"Once Jincheng is lost, all of Jinzhou will belong to Xiliang; this Northwest of the Great Song is about to descend into total chaos." The merchant smiled broadly.

After pouring and drinking by himself for a while, he looked toward the direction of Yanzhou.

"Yan Wang, oh Yan Wang, to be able to force the Prime Minister to go to such great lengths to deal with you, you can be considered to have some ability, but compared to the influential clans, you are still a bit green; this time, I want to see what you will do."

Then he looked toward the Southwest, where Qinzhou was located.

"And there is still the Ma Family." The merchant ate a few bites of food and sneered repeatedly.