Li Ganshun has every reason to be proud.

The Tangut people began to decline under his father, Li Bingchang. By the time he ascended the throne early in his life, they were already in a very weak state and had been repeatedly defeated by the Song Dynasty.

But starting ten years ago, when Richard defeated the Song army at Tong'an, the Tanguts began to fight back against the Song Dynasty.

With the Liao emperor mediating, the Song dynasty finally agreed to negotiate peace and pay tribute.

Li Ganshun originally had a harmonious relationship with the Liao Dynasty, and his strategy was to unite with the Liao to resist the Song Dynasty. He even sent a large army to help the Liao attack the Jurchens.

But seeing that the Liao dynasty was doomed, the Jin envoy came to Xia and told him that Jin and Xia were one family, and that the Jin could treat Xia as the Liao had treated Xia.

Therefore, Li Gan took the opportunity to form an alliance with the Jin Dynasty.

This is also one of the reasons why Yelü Dashi was willing to send troops to counterbalance the Jin Dynasty. Yelü Dashi hoped that the Xia Dynasty would be destroyed by the Song Dynasty.

Li Ganshun, however, was in high spirits. Under his rule, the Tangut state had grown stronger over the years, and the central authority was now unbreakable, with the dictatorship of the mother party completely disappearing.

Li Gan, dressed in military attire and holding a precious sword, was surrounded by the imperial guards.

An army of 100,000 surrounded Hongzhou completely.

Not only was Hongzhou City besieged, but several major towns heading northeast from the southwest of Hengshan were also surrounded by the Xia army.

Including Hongzhou, Longzhou, Yinzhou, and Yongle City.

These places are teeming with Xia troops, and Hongzhou was already besieged when Cao Sheng launched his rebellion.

Yongle City mobilized 200,000 Xia troops and launched a night attack, as the Tanguts were determined to capture this important town.

The villages of Shiguojing and Niuxinting were originally places where the Song army stored grain, but they were massacred.

All the men were executed, and all the women were captured and taken to the army camp.

The snow there is red, and the road surface is also red.

Countless heads piled up on the wasteland, and countless pairs of eyes, devoid of life, gazed at the gray sky.

At that moment, Li Ganshun was outside Hongzhou City. He saw more than a dozen huge stones crashing down on the already dilapidated city walls of Hongzhou, shattering the last resistance of the Song army. A surge of heroic spirit rose in his heart.

Because he grew up during the peak of his mother party's dictatorship, he has always presented himself as profound and gentle.

This Xia ruler was arguably more cunning, more adept at assessing situations, and more knowledgeable about what to do than his predecessors.

When the Liao Dynasty was on its last legs, he decisively established relations with the Jin Dynasty.

His empress was a princess of the Liao Dynasty. In order to show his sincere desire to cooperate with the Jin Dynasty, he executed his empress and claimed that she died of grief because her country was destroyed.

If Li Ganshun had not been born in the Xia Dynasty, but in the Liao or Song Dynasty, and given a good opportunity, he could have rewritten history.

This is Li Ganshun. Beneath his gentle exterior lies a fervent ambition, and his abilities perfectly match his aspirations.

Unfortunately, the kingdom he inherited was the Xia Kingdom, a small place tucked away in the northwest, separated from the Song Dynasty by the Hengshan Mountains, and forced to rely on the Liao Kingdom to counterbalance the Song Dynasty.

This time, he mobilized the entire nation's resources and launched a massive southward campaign in the bitter cold of the twelfth lunar month, intending to annihilate all the Song cities and fortresses in the Hengshan region and completely alter the balance of power between the Song and Xia dynasties.

With a roar like a torrent coming from ahead, the Song army's last line of defense finally collapsed.

Almost all of the Song soldiers on the city wall were killed in battle, and their commander, Zhang Gu, committed suicide by cutting his own throat.

Blood flowed down the wall, staining the entire wall red, which looked particularly glaring in the snow-covered world.

Xia Jun began his frantic charge into Hongzhou City. They were exhausted and needed more delicious food, money, and women.

The Western Xia commander who led the siege, Yeli Qingge, was a physically strong but mentally weak killer.

He has been besieging Hongzhou for a month and a half.

Initially, he had 30,000 men.

They fought against the Song army in Hongzhou no less than twenty times, averaging one battle every two days.

Moreover, they cut off all supplies to Hongzhou City.

Even so, it still lasted a long time.

If Li Ganshun hadn't personally led the expedition, Hongzhou City could have held out longer and wouldn't have fallen now.

After the city fell, Yeli Qingge's soldiers retaliated by flooding in and began looting and killing.

He looked quite satisfied as he watched the women his soldiers forcibly dragged out of their houses in the city.

Just as he was feeling smug, Renduo Chuqing rode over on horseback.

"This humble general greets Commander Ren Yuan. Hongzhou City has completely fallen."

Yeli Qingge bowed, then spoke in a boastful tone.

Yeli Qingge was very unhappy with Renduo Chuqing.

The Yeli tribe was a powerful clan in the Xia Kingdom, far more noble than the Renduo tribe of the Qiang people who lived in seclusion in Hengshan. It was truly humiliating that they had to bow to the Renduo tribe.

"Thank you for your hard work, General Yeli."

"It's all to share His Majesty's burdens."

Ren Duochuqing suddenly had a half-smile on his face, which made Yeli Qing even more unhappy.

"His Majesty is not very satisfied with the general."

Yeli Qingge was slightly taken aback, and really wanted to lash out.

How could I not be satisfied!

I slaughtered all the surrounding villages, robbed the Song army of a lot of grain, and also broke through Hongzhou City!

"Please enlighten me, Marshal."

"You've been besieging Hongzhou City for a month and a half, delaying crucial military operations. His Majesty was going to execute you and replace you with someone else!"

Yeli Qingge trembled all over, and the hair on his face began to shake; he was clearly terrified.

"Where is Your Majesty? This humble servant will go to Your Majesty now to apologize and explain the situation!"

What is the reason?

"The Song army is cunning. Before our army arrived, they seized all the grain in the surrounding area and stockpiled it in Hongzhou City. Our army was exhausted and our horses were worn out, which is why we were delayed for so long!"

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