Guo the Pharmacist continued his sarcasm: "What if the Song emperor doesn't negotiate peace?"

"That's easy. We just need to tell the Song emperor and his court officials to increase the annual tribute to ten million bolts and the amount of silk to one million bolts! Not only in Tokyo, but we'll also withdraw our troops from Hebei!"

Wanyan Chamu immediately said, "No, we cannot withdraw our troops from Hebei. Hedong and Hebei should belong to the Great Jin!"

Dong Cai continued, "Naturally, it belongs to the Great Jin. This is merely a delaying tactic. Once the Song emperor agrees to our conditions, the Song's finances will inevitably be weakened again, and the royal family and ministers will certainly increase taxes. Even without our Great Jin cavalry, a rebellion like that of Fang La and Song Jiang will soon erupt within the Song state itself. At that time, our Great Jin army can use the excuse of quelling the internal strife in the Song state to launch another attack and take the opportunity to increase the annual tribute again. This will be far more profitable than if we lose so many people and still struggle to capture the city!"

Wanyan Zongwang nodded, clearly agreeing with Dong Cai's plan.

Wanyan Zongwang himself did not want to truly destroy the Song Dynasty. He believed that although the Jin Dynasty had a strong military, it was far inferior to the Song Dynasty in terms of governance and economic development. Not to mention whether the Jin Dynasty had the abundant resources and manpower to annex the vast Song Dynasty, even if it managed to annex it, it would be extremely difficult to govern it. At that time, the Han people would inevitably rebel in various places, and the cost of suppressing the rebellions would be enormous.

It would be far better to use force, like Dong Cai did, to intimidate the Song state and force it to increase its annual tribute, thus economically crippling it. This is much more shrewd than a direct attack.

I believe that if the Song emperor were to agree to peace talks on the grounds of returning the lands of Hebei and Hedong, he would certainly agree!

Although Hedong and Hebei were considered the shields of the Song state, what difference would it make if the Song, with its weak military, had a few more shields?

Return it to him first, extort a huge sum of money from him, and then it will be easy to get it back later.

Wanyan Zongwang believed that a country with weak military power had no say, and that the Jin Dynasty could do whatever it wanted as long as it had strong power!

After Dong Cai finished speaking, the military camp fell silent. Compared to Guo Yaoshi and Wanyan Chamu, who were only good at leading troops to fight, Dong Cai's strategy was far more profound. Increasing the annual tribute would increase the financial burden on the Song Dynasty. If a country's treasury is gradually emptying, even if its culture is prosperous, it will be like an arrow at the end of its rope.

This move is truly a fatal blow!

This coincided with Wanyan Zongwang's strategy.

Soon, the Jin army's envoys set off for Tokyo.

At this moment, Zhao Huan, along with the two chief ministers, Zhong Shidao, and Yao Pingzhong, were discussing the next strategic plan.

Zhao Huan said, "We have just repelled the Jin invaders' attack on the city, but Wanyan Zongwang has not retreated. There are still 20,000 Jin troops lurking dozens of miles away, and Hebei and Hedong Road are in imminent danger. What are your thoughts?"

Li Gang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that as the armies from various regions arrive in Tokyo one after another, we should engage in a decisive battle with Wanyan Zongwang to defeat the Jin invaders in one fell swoop, and then proceed north to relieve the siege of Taiyuan!"

Yao Pingzhong immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I am willing to be the vanguard and launch a night attack on Wanyan Zongwang. We will surely defeat the Jin invaders!"

Li Gang added, "Your Majesty, our army's morale is high at this time, so we can take the initiative to attack. General Yao is exceptionally brave and has repeatedly made meritorious contributions in the western frontier. I believe that General Yao can serve as the vanguard and launch a surprise attack on the Jin invaders!"

"Bullshit!" Zhao Huan cursed inwardly. "Yao Pingzhong, don't you know you're a notorious runaway general in later generations? Don't you know you've ruined Emperor Qinzong's life? You unreliable bastard!"

In official history, Yao Pingzhong did indeed propose a night raid on the Jin invaders, and Li Gang agreed, since the Song army had arrived and had the advantage. However, unexpectedly, the night raid plan was betrayed to the Jin invaders by someone from the peace faction. Wanyan Zongwang had already made preparations and was just waiting for Yao Pingzhong to walk into the lion's den.

Yao Pingzhong suffered a crushing defeat, and you can call it a crushing defeat!

But after his defeat, he fled all the way to a remote mountain in Sichuan, where he finally stopped at a secluded Taoist temple. He then went into seclusion and became a Taoist priest, causing the imperial court to send a large number of people to search for him.

This fellow didn't appear until after Zhao Gou's death, during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong of Song.

Do you think this guy is the kind of person who would betray the emperor?

Damn! I've searched through all of Chinese history and never seen such a terrible general!

However, since Yao Pingzhong had won many battles while guarding the Shaanxi area, and the matter of him fleeing had not yet occurred, Zhao Huan could not say anything. He felt that this should not be allowed to happen, otherwise, Yao Pingzhong, such a talented person, would become a fleeing general, which would be a loss for the Song Dynasty. He still wanted to make good use of Yao Pingzhong.

Zhao Huan neither agreed nor disagreed, and continued to ask, "Zhong Qing, what do you think?"

Zhong Shidao said, "Your Majesty, the Jin invaders have penetrated deep into enemy territory alone. Although they are brave in battle, they do not understand military strategy. I believe that by fortifying our defenses and clearing the fields, and by closing our gates and refusing to fight, the Jin invaders will surely be unable to hold out for more than two months, and our army will win without a fight!"

His ideas coincided with those of Liu Yanzong and Zhao Huan.

Li Gang replied, "Your Majesty, if it were a few days ago, our army would have naturally adopted a scorched-earth policy, but yesterday our army defeated the Jin invaders and is in high spirits. We should take advantage of this victory and launch a proactive attack!"

Zhong Shidao said, "Your Majesty, you must not! The Jin army is strong and well-equipped, and the Liao Kingdom is powerful. The Jin army has only been in power for five short years, from the time they raised their army to the time they destroyed the Liao Kingdom. Our army is also short of horses, so it is impossible for us to fight the Jin army head-on!"

Li Gang said, "General Zhong, the military situation in Hedong and Hebei is extremely tense. If our army does not take the initiative to attack, it will inevitably miss the opportunity and cause even greater losses!"

"Lord Li, the Jin invaders are fierce and have ample cavalry to fight on the plains. Although our Song soldiers are brave, there is really no need to engage them in a head-on battle, which would only increase casualties. It would be better to stay at the gates and wait for the Jin invaders to tire before joining forces to encircle and annihilate them!"

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