"Lord Jiang is exaggerating too much." Princess Xue'er, this naive young girl, could never have imagined that the Xiongnu would do such despicable and shameless things after entering the pass.
"Going to the Xiongnu is not a marriage alliance, but inviting wolves into the house. If the Xiongnu send troops into the pass and destroy the Great Xia Dynasty because of your marriage alliance..."
"At that time, you will be a sinner condemned by all people for all eternity."
Jiang Tian's words were not an exaggeration.
Upon hearing this, the little girl turned deathly pale.
Princess Xue'er was focused on the idea that if the Great Xia Dynasty and the Xiongnu made peace through marriage, the Xiongnu would send troops to help them quell the rebellion.
In this way, sacrificing her happiness alone could save the Great Xia Dynasty from disaster.
What does one person's sacrifice matter?
"Just stay here and forget about marrying off to the Xiongnu for now."
Princess Xue'er stood there, unsure of what to do.
Jiang Tian's words echoed in her mind again and again.
If she didn't marry into the Xiongnu, she would be letting down the emperor who had been so kind to her.
Marrying into the Xiongnu tribe could very well make her a sinner for all time.
The little girl let out a long sigh.
“National conflicts are problems that we men should solve. How can we burden a weak woman like you with these problems?” Jiang Tian comforted her.
The young girl sat down with Jiang Tian.
To Princess Xue'er's surprise, Jiang Tian was so talkative, and every word he said resonated with her.
The young girl had clear, watery eyes and stared at Jiang Tian for a few moments.
In the past two days, his image in Princess Xue'er's mind has risen even higher.
...
The Great Xia Dynasty, capital city of Tai'an.
In the imperial court.
Empress Qian Renxue, disguised as a man and wearing a dragon robe, sat high on the dragon throne.
The civil and military officials knelt on the ground, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"My beloved ministers, rise." Empress Qian Renxue raised her hands slightly, her demeanor exuding an air of domineering power.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Everyone stood up.
“Last night we received an urgent message from 800 li away,” Qian Renxue said, looking at the civil and military officials below the steps. “The Great Wall is ablaze with beacon fires, and the smoke from the fires rises straight into the sky.”
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression instantly changed.
Everyone knows that the Great Wall is built on a mountain with towering peaks.
With the Great Wall standing firm, the 16 northern kingdoms had no way to invade the Xia Dynasty.
The general guarding the Great Wall was Ling Yunzhi, the Zhenyuan General of the Great Xia Dynasty.
This man is capable of bringing peace to the world with his pen and of conquering the world on horseback.
Ling Yunzhi guarded the Great Wall for 30 years, and during those 30 years, no army from the 16 kingdoms of the northern grasslands was able to break through the Great Wall.
Now, the mighty Great Wall is ablaze with the smoke of war.
This means that the Great Wall has been captured.
"With the Great Wall breached, the Khitan cavalry will surely advance unimpeded."
“The mountains near the Great Wall are connected, but to the south of the Great Wall, the land is flat. Once the Khitan cavalry charges into the Great Wall, they will be able to enter an uninhabited area.”
"Is Heaven going to destroy my Great Xia?"
"What should we do?"
"The Khitan cavalry are a pack of fierce warriors; the army of the Great Xia Dynasty is no match for them."
"It seems they will soon be able to take over the capital."
"..."
Looking at the civil and military officials below the stage, who were all discussing amongst themselves, Empress Qian Renxue's expression gradually turned cold and frosty.
"Silence!" The chief eunuch, Lü Fang, cleared his throat and shouted at the top of his lungs.
However, the civil and military officials below the stage continued to chatter and discuss incessantly.
The Great Xia Dynasty was already like a floating duckweed in the wind, and the shout of the Grand Eunuch Lü Fang did not stop everyone.
Empress Qian Renxue slammed her hand on the armrest of the dragon throne and stood up abruptly.
"All of you, quiet down."
The scene fell silent instantly.
"Pang Hao, you are the Grand Secretary. Tell me what we should do when the Khitan army is about to besiege the city."
Empress Qian Renxue stared at Grand Secretary Pang Hao.
"This...this...this..."
Pang Hao talked for a long time, but didn't say a single word.
"I want to ask you, after all this time, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"Your Majesty, I am merely the Grand Secretary and do not oversee military affairs."
"For matters concerning defending against the enemy, please consult Minister of War Chen Ping'an."
All eyes turned to Chen Ping'an, the Minister of War.
Chen Ping'an stepped forward and knelt down on both knees: "Your Majesty, is there any error in this matter? General Ling Yunzhi has been guarding the border for 30 years."
"The 16 kingdoms of the northern grasslands all sought to set foot in my Great Xia Dynasty, yet suddenly the mighty Great Wall was breached."
Empress Qian Renxue angrily said, "What I hold in my hand is an urgent battle report sent from the border at an 800-mile express courier. How could such an urgent battle report be false?"
“Your Majesty,” General Dong Dahai of Pingyuan stepped forward, “the imperial army of 400,000 is trapped by rebel forces in various regions, and we are unable to extricate ourselves.”
The force defending the capital is less than 20,000. If 100,000 Khitan cavalry were to besiege the city, we would be utterly unable to resist.
General Zhou Jian nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty, the only solution now is to mobilize the people to strengthen the defense of the capital."
Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The second-in-command of the cabinet, Zhou Chaoxian, glanced at the military personnel and said, "Your Majesty, General Hua is mistaken. As the saying goes, the best defense is a good offense."
We cannot wait until the Khitan cavalry of 100,000 is at the city gates before we begin to defend ourselves passively.
We should take the initiative.
Upon hearing this, Dong Dahai's eyes widened in anger: "Lord Zhou, it's easy for you to talk when you're not in the situation. Launch an attack? The Khitan cavalry is unstoppable. They are all like wolves and tigers, each one capable of taking on ten. Can you really hold them off?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Chaoxian snorted coldly: "To speak of defeat before the battle is a major taboo in military strategy."
General Dong is the Grand General Who Pacifies the Distant Lands, shouldering the heavy responsibility of protecting the country.
"General Dong should not just say things that boost the morale of others while diminishing his own."
"The invasion of the capital by the Khitan cavalry is a foregone conclusion. If we retreat out of fear, how can we possibly defeat the enemy?"
Upon hearing this, Dong Dahai immediately retorted: "As the second-highest-ranking official in the cabinet, Lord Zhou cannot just talk the talk and expect us lowly soldiers to charge into battle, can he?"
Lord Zhou said that I, Dong Dahai, boost the morale of others while diminishing our own. If you're so capable, why don't you lead your army to resist us?
Zhou Chaoxian: "I am a civil official, not a military general who goes to the battlefield to kill the enemy."
If I were a general leading troops into battle, I would certainly fight bravely and recklessly.
Even if I die on the battlefield, wrapped in a horse's hide, I will not disappoint His Majesty.
“Your Majesty, I still maintain my previous statement,” Zhou Chaoxian said coldly, “We must strengthen the defenses of the capital while also taking the initiative to attack.”
Only by constructing defensive lines north of the capital can we withstand the onslaught of the Khitan cavalry.
"General Pingyuan and General Dingyuan command a large army. If they do not take the initiative and miss the opportunity, the consequences will be unimaginable."
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