Information in this era was delayed, and the news that the Great Qi had successfully defeated the Liao and Jin armies was currently only known to the two countries.
Meanwhile, the Xixia court, far away on the other side, was engaged in a heated debate about something at this moment.
"The Liao and Jin are advancing aggressively, and Da Qi has lost Bazhou City. The Da Qi capital is now defenseless. I don't think they can hold their own. Based on my understanding of the Da Qi people, they're probably already planning how to move the capital and escape."
"Lord, we must plan ahead for this kind of thing. If Liao and Jin truly conquer the capital of Da Qi, then the entire northern region of Da Qi will fall under their control. At that time, our trade routes with Da Qi will likely be cut off."
"Lord, our annual trade volume with Da Qi is currently quite large, and it is still in a period of rapid growth. Da Qi cannot fail!"
"I think so too, and this isn't just a trade issue. If the Great Qi is truly defeated by the Liao and Jin, then the Liao and Jin will undoubtedly dominate the world. We're so close to them, there's no guarantee they won't attack us next time!"
"I think we should send troops to the Liao-Jin border at this time to put some pressure on them. We can't let them march south without any scruples!"
The speaker was an elder of Li Chixiang, who represented the interests of the emerging nobles of Western Xia.
They all benefited from doing business with Da Qi, so of course they hope that this business can continue for a long time.
Unfortunately, there is more than one faction in the court of Western Xia, and not all nobles can benefit from the transaction with Da Qi.
Many of the old nobles of Western Xia were not friendly towards the Great Qi. Many of them became nobles by relying on their military merits in fighting against the Great Qi.
Many people had long been dissatisfied with the attitude of the emerging nobles licking the Great Qi, so someone immediately stood up and said, "Lord, I think the Great Qi will definitely not be able to hold on to the current situation. Sending troops to the Liao-Jin border at this time would be a very foolish decision."
"In my opinion, we should immediately mobilize our army and attack Da Qi together with Liao and Jin. While Da Qi is weak and most of its soldiers have been transferred to their capital, we should march south to capture as many cities and territories as possible."
"If we can divide up Da Qi with Liao and Jin, we can become one of the two strongest nations, and then we won't have to worry about Liao and Jin threatening us!"
This person's speech also attracted a lot of people's approval. Many nobles felt that doing business honestly would make money too slowly, and it was more exciting to rob.
For a while, the two sides were arguing fiercely in the court of Western Xia.
"We just signed a friendly alliance with Da Qi, and now you're backstabbing your allies. Do you still have any shame?"
"What a joke! There are no eternal enemies or eternal friends in this world, only eternal interests. Are you guys so naive?"
"Joining forces with Liao and Jin to attack Great Qi is undoubtedly exhausting the resources. Are you so confident that you can seize the formula for perfume and other valuable items? If the perfume formula and the method for weaving wool are all gone, what will we do in the future?"
"They all have one nose and two eyes. If Da Qi can research them, then Xi Xia can definitely research these formulas too. It's just a matter of increasing investment in this area."
"Really? Then why don't you hurry up and research it? This is a lucrative business. What are you waiting for?"
"You're looking for trouble, right? Come on, do you want to test the sharpness of my steel knife?"
Looking at the ministers who were arguing with each other, Li Yingxiao rubbed his eyebrows tiredly.
Seeing that some people still wanted to argue, he slammed the table and said, "Enough! I asked you to come to the palace to express some constructive opinions, not to curse like a shrew."
After saying this, he looked at his own Minister of War with an unhappy expression and asked, "What is the current war situation? Have any battle reports been received?"
"Reporting to the king, I just received news that Yelu Song has led an army of at least 300,000 and has already set up camp outside the capital of Da Qi. As for Da Qi, it seems that there are only 20,000 defenders."
Upon hearing this, Li Yingxiao's lips trembled.
Twenty thousand against at least three hundred thousand, how can we fight this battle?
"What does Da Qi mean? How do they plan to handle this? Are there any specific rules?"
"It's said that the emperor and many ministers planned to flee, under the pretext of moving the capital south. However, the young prince Li Xiang and their imperial preceptor advocated defending the city to the death. Now it seems that they have chosen the latter."
Upon hearing that Da Qi was actually planning to fight to the death, some people felt that Da Qi still had some courage, while others thought that the king and his ministers were simply stupid.
Li Yingxiao pondered for a moment, then asked again, "What's the situation with the garrison troops on the Da Qi border? Are there any signs of redeployment?"
The Minister of War hurriedly shook his head and said, "According to our observations, the number of Da Qi garrison troops in the border area has not decreased. It seems that this garrison has no intention of returning to reinforce."
After summarizing these information, Li Yingxiao probably had his own ideas.
He felt that what a minister had said before was right: there are no eternal allies in this world, only eternal interests.
If Da Qi really couldn't hold on any longer, he would choose to march south and strike a heavy blow to that empire.
A series of new products such as perfume are indeed good things, but what he wants more is a large piece of land.
Thinking of this, he gave the order: "Let our soldiers begin to assemble, but do not go to the border area for the time being. Just set up camp far away. As soon as news comes from Da Qi that the city has been breached, as soon as we find signs of Da Qi troops mobilizing on the border, we will immediately march south!"
The emerging nobles looked at each other in bewilderment. They had not expected that Li Yingxiao would make such a decision in the end.
But since the supreme ruler has said so, they can only obey.
At this time, someone else stood up and said, "Lord, how should we deal with the issue of Da Qi's concession on our side?"
Li Yingxiao pondered for a moment and said, "First, send someone to contact those technicians and offer them as generous conditions as possible to attract them and get them to serve us. If Da Qi really can't hold on, I believe they'll be willing to change sides."
"As for the land and buildings in the concession, you should think of a way to reclaim them. Remember, do it cleanly and don't let anyone get hold of anything. At least, don't let anyone get hold of anything until you're sure Da Qi is finished."
"Go out and tell the Da Qi envoys that we are seriously considering their proposal. Tell them to be patient and go back to wait!"
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