The capital of the Great Gan Kingdom.
The Imperial Study.
Emperor Li Ming sat on his imperial couch, looking at the memorial in his hand, his face gloomy, unable to utter a word for a long time.
After a long while, Li Ming slammed the memorial in his hand onto the ground, startling the surrounding eunuchs who trembled in fear.
Since the Prince of Dongning broke with the imperial court, news such as the surprise attack on Yuguan City, the capture of Liaodong City, and the capture of the Prince of Liao have all made Li Ming somewhat angry.
However, no matter how angry I was, I was never this angry as I was today, and I seemed a bit irritable and impatient.
"Song Xianze, tell me!"
Li Ming stared at Song Xianze with eyes wide with rage and demanded, "Tell me, what are these Liaodong garrison troops doing?"
Seventy or eighty thousand people, just like that, retreated from Liaodong?
They didn't even inform the imperial court!
What are they trying to do?
To retreat without a fight?
Are we just going to hand over Liaodong to that traitor?
big eater!
A bunch of good-for-nothings!
No matter how angry Li Ming cursed, Song Xianze, kneeling on the ground, didn't dare to utter a single word.
After all, Song Ming, who was sent to Liaodong, was recommended by himself, and was also a relative of his.
Such a relationship was enough for Song Xianze to avoid suspicion.
Even more critically, after Liaodong fell and the Liao king was captured, Song and Ming fled with their gold, silver and valuables.
To this day, their whereabouts remain unknown.
This is not just about the unknown recommender, but also about desertion in the face of danger, which is an unforgivable crime!
Therefore, Song Xianze was kneeling on the ground, not daring to say a word.
"Song Xianze, are you mute?"
Looking at the silent Song Xianze, Li Ming scolded, "Is this still the once famous Mr. Song?"
Why aren't you saying anything now?
"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Song Xianze kowtowed repeatedly.
Since Li Ming ascended the throne, the relationship between the two of them has undergone subtle changes.
After Li Ming became emperor, Song Xianze had to be more careful with his words and could no longer speak as freely as before.
After all, if Li Ming were to kill him in a fit of anger, it would only be a matter of a single word.
Song Xianze took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, the situation in Liaodong is entirely due to my lack of understanding."
"With the fall of Liaodong, I bear grave responsibility; I beg Your Majesty's punishment!"
As he spoke, Song Xianze kowtowed several more times.
"Punishment?"
Li Ming sneered and said, "If punishing you could help us recover Liaodong, I would have executed you long ago!"
Upon hearing this, Song Xianze trembled slightly.
Fortunately, His Majesty was just saying it and didn't really intend to kill him.
"Song Xianze!"
Looking at Song Xianze kneeling on the ground, Li Ming smirked and said coldly, "I spared your life because you are still useful!"
I hereby grant you permission to atone for your crimes through meritorious service.
Tell me, is there any way to turn the current situation around?
this……
Upon hearing Li Ming's question, Song Xianze knew in his heart that he was safe.
There is no immediate danger to his life!
After a moment of silence, Song Xianze said, "Your Majesty, from the beginning of the year until now, armies from all over the country have been arriving in the capital area one after another."
The grain and fodder collected from various places have been transported to the front lines.
Currently, there are a total of two to three hundred thousand troops on the front lines.
With a large army assembled, we are just waiting for the roads to thaw in the spring so that we can launch a full-scale attack and storm Yuguan City!
Once we capture Yuguan City, we can press our advantage and recover Liaodong and Dongning!
Your Majesty, you should know that the Prince of Dongning's forces only number between twenty and thirty thousand.
Even during this period, no matter how many soldiers we recruit, how many can we actually recruit?
Even if these green recruits complete their training and become combat soldiers, how could it be possible in less than a few months?
Therefore, Your Highness need not worry too much!
Let Prince Dongning enjoy his triumph for a while.
"Once spring arrives, he'll have plenty of time to cry!"
"Hmm."
Hearing Song Xianze's words, Li Ming nodded silently.
This analysis of the situation reassured Li Ming somewhat.
It seems the advantage lies with the imperial court!
"His Majesty,"
Song Xianze raised his head, a ruthless glint in his eyes, and said, "After recovering Liaodong and Dongning in this way, we have effectively eliminated two vassal kings."
This would be even more advantageous for our plan to weaken the power of the feudal lords!
Imagine if even Prince Xin were to be wiped out; how could the other vassal kings possibly stand a chance against us then?
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Upon hearing this, Li Ming couldn't help but laugh.
Cut off the vassal.
It has always been Li Ming's dream.
After all, the regional vassal kings controlled two-fifths of the territory, which represented two-fifths of the land's wealth!
Seeing such vast lands and wealth slipping away from the imperial court was unsettling for Li Ming.
Therefore, when he was the crown prince, Li Ming had already conceived the idea of weakening the power of the princes.
Although I never showed it, it remained buried deep in my heart.
If the army were to break through Yuguan City now and advance straight in, annihilating the army of Prince Xin, it would truly be a complete wipeout of the two major vassal states of Prince Liao and Prince Xin!
That's really good!
Li Ming couldn't help but laugh; this deal was a good one!
However, Li Ming frowned after a short while. He remembered that last year, tens of thousands of grassland bandits had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Dongning.
At that time, Dongning was even weaker.
All they had were new weapons like muskets and cannons!
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