Chapter 813: Brook

Latest URL: "I would like to hear the esteemed envoy Brook's insights." Liang Kai swept his gaze over the crowd and sighed, "At present, we are truly at a total loss and can only rely on you British to point out a clear path."

Realizing that besides the British, the Northern Di and the Ross were also involved this time, he added, "Of course, there is also the Khan and the Ross people."

Dou Wei nodded.

Even though the Shizu had stood together again, they still felt a sense of trepidation when facing Yan Wang.

After all, they had all clashed with the Yan King Army and knew well the power of the Yan King Army.

Moreover, Southern Liang had been driven from Jingzhou to Yizhou, and Wu had been forced to relocate its capital after being defeated.

The most miserable were the Han Family, the Wang Family, and the Xie Family.

The Han Family and the Wang Family were currently nothing more than stray dogs and rootless duckweed.

The Xie Family's Jinling had also just been captured, and no one could say how much longer Ningzhou could hold out.

Today, those three families were essentially wiped out.

Yet before the Great Song fell into civil strife, if those three families had stomped their feet, the Great Song would have trembled three times over.

"According to Prime Minister Dou, the Great Song has four major grain-producing regions: Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Ningzhou, and Yizhou. At present, three of these four major grain-producing regions are occupied by Yan Wang. The situation can be described as extremely dire. If this continues, you will soon face problems with grain and fodder, after all, they have brought many commoners with them in their westward migration." Brook did not hold back, analyzing the situation right in front of Liang Kai, Dou Wei, and Tiemuta.

The British had never possessed the humility of the Song People, and centuries of colonizing the world had made them self-centered and disdainful of the world.

In their eyes, the indigenous people of other continents were no different from primitive people living in the forest.

Any casual advice they gave was like the teachings of God.

"That is indeed the case. It is precisely because Ningzhou is so important that I deployed an army of six hundred thousand, including those three families, near Jinling, but I never expected that in just a few days..." Liang Kai could not continue and slapped his thigh hard.

Worried that the loss of the Ningzhou grain-producing region would lower his status in the eyes of the British, he added, "However, you need not worry. The grain production in Jiangnan is enough for our army to eat. As for the commoners, it does not matter if some starve to death; furthermore, if they are hungry, they are easier to command."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right.

At present, everything should prioritize the army. Grain and fodder are not a problem. As long as we can defeat Yan Wang, even if fifty percent of the commoners starve to death, after a few years of stability, they will reproduce and recover." Dou Wei agreed with Liang Kai's statement.

Both of them came from great Shizu that had been passed down for hundreds of years.

Since childhood, they had only been in contact with other Shizu of equal status; it could be said that they only spoke with the powerful and noble, and never interacted with the impoverished.

High and mighty, they had long been completely disconnected from the bottom of society, unaware of the suffering of the people, and lacking empathy.

In their eyes, the commoners were like mules and horses to be ridden, merely there for them to drive.

When they were useful, they could be given some sweet dates; if they became a burden, they could be discarded at any time, just like now.

Tiemuta was expressionless; he understood the Shizu of the Great Song and was not surprised by this.

Brook felt no ripples in his heart either; the words of these Shizu only deepened his stereotypical impression of the Great Song.

He believed that the Great Song was no different from the native states of Tianzhu or the indigenous empires of the New Continent.

After pondering for a moment, he spoke objectively: "However, the situation on the battlefield is often ever-changing. One must have a stable grain-producing region to resist Yan Wang for a long time. Therefore, I believe we should take two steps at this moment."

Clearing his throat, he continued: "The first step is to focus on the defense of Yizhou; we must never let Yizhou fall into the hands of Yan Wang again."

"Envoy Brook is wise." Dou Wei felt a surge of joy.

This was undoubtedly beneficial to Southern Liang.

Tiemuta also nodded secretly; Southern Liang was now equivalent to a vassal state of the Northern Di.

Preserving Southern Liang was also of great benefit to the Northern Di; if they encountered a shortage of grain and fodder, they could fully seek help from Southern Liang.

"The second step is that we cannot blindly defend passively; we must burn the flames of war onto the land controlled by Yan Wang, making it difficult for him to develop with peace of mind," Brook added.

This time, he was acting under the orders of Governor Bolt to negotiate with the Ross and had arrived at the entire Shizu of the Great Song; his true purpose was naturally not for the sake of the Great Song.

It was just that the interests of the Shizu, the interests of the Northern Di, and the interests of the Ross temporarily aligned with the interests of Britain, thus uniting against the enemy.

And amidst the complex entanglement of interests, his top priority remained the interests of Britain.

Now, their goal was clear: first, to let Yan Wang fall into the quagmire of civil war.

The first step he proposed was to ensure that the Shizu Army would not collapse due to grain and fodder problems, which would lead to Yan Wang taking the opportunity to unify Jiangnan.

The second, naturally, was to hinder Yan Wang's development through war; this was the purpose of the second step.

Taking these two steps would achieve the goal of buying reaction time for Britain and the Western Lands, while also weakening Yan Wang.

It would create conditions for them, Britain, and even the entire Western Lands to launch an operation to annihilate Yan Wang.

Of course, he was absolutely confident in Britain's strength.

But Britain's way of acting had always been this way; if they could incite war within the Great Song to crush Yan Wang, they would not need to do it themselves.

"News from Ningzhou says that Yan Wang left a portion of Steamships and Sailing Warships to patrol Jiujiang; crossing the river to harass Jiangbei is likely impossible," Liang Kai frowned.

They were running away as fast as they could now; to take the initiative to find Yan Wang, wouldn't that be seeking death?

"Your Majesty has misunderstood. It is not about crossing the river to attack Jiangbei, but about consuming Yan Wang's troops right here in Jiangnan..." Dou Wei said at this moment.

When heading to Changcheng, he had already discussed this matter with Brook and Tiemuta.

Soon, the Northern Di would take action across the entire north of the Great Song, stationing troops in three places: Ningjin Dusi, the passes of Jinzhou, and Xiao Pass in Qinzhou, to drag down the Ningjin Army of Yan Wang's Ningjin Dusi and the Qin Army guarding the northwest.

They, Southern Liang, would also cooperate by increasing troops at Jian Pass and Zhongling Pass, coordinating to pin down the Qin Army so that it could not support Jiangnan.

After all, exiting Jian Pass led to Qinzhou, and exiting Zhongling Pass led to Jingzhou.

By then, Yan Wang would certainly not dare to easily mobilize the Qin Army.

Afterward, using Changcheng as bait, they would lure Yan Wang's Prince's Personal Army to continue deep into their territory.

They would prepare two detachments of troops: one to defend Changcheng and one to lie in ambush.

Once Yan Wang's Prince's Personal Army gathered at Changcheng, they would take the opportunity to attack Jinling and cut off the Prince's Personal Army's grain supply lines and retreat routes.

With the size of their forces, they could wear this army to death even through attrition.

This was Brook's one attack and one defense.

After hearing this, Liang Kai's face showed joy; for him, this was indeed a good idea.

In this way, he could take back the grain-producing regions around Jinling.

However, thinking about having to fight Yan Wang's troops at Changcheng, he sighed again, "If so, I cannot stay in this Changcheng; I will have to move the capital again."

Dou Wei smiled and said, "Your Majesty, in truth, Changcheng was never the best choice for moving the capital. The large lake near Changcheng connects to the Jiujiang, which is extremely advantageous for Yan Wang. I actually believe there is a place a hundred times more suitable than Changcheng, and once we reach there, our two families can rely on each other like lips and teeth."

"Oh?" Liang Kai was somewhat surprised and could not help but ask, "What place is it?"