Upon hearing this, Xu Di felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over his head, chilling him to the bone, followed by an overwhelming fear that filled him with extreme dread.
The moonlight wasn't very bright tonight, but Xu Rao still noticed Xu Di's unpleasant expression. Xu Rao was very worried. After a long while, she heard Xu Di say in a hoarse voice, "Father, tell me, what should I do to make all the thoughts in my heart come true? What should I do to prevent others from hurting me and the people behind me?"
Xu Rao sighed and said, "Xu Di, only when you stand at a height that others cannot reach, and make others look up to you, can you confidently and boldly do what you want to do. Xu Di, you must remember that many times, not everyone can happily watch a rising star rise. Some people will try every means to prevent the star from rising when it is about to rise."
Xu Di nodded. Seeing that Xu Di could accept his advice, Xu Rao said, "Don't worry about the situation in Liaodong. General Zhou has been guarding Liaodong for decades and knows the situation here like the back of his hand. Your brother-in-law has not been here to do nothing all these years. This time, the two of them are fighting to annihilate the Jin army's elite forces in Liaodong, so that the Jin army will not have the strength to fight against Daliang in the future."
Upon hearing this, Xu Di said somewhat unhappily, "So all this trip was for nothing?"
Xu Rao smiled and said, "No, no, at least we didn't expect them to cut off the connection between Liaodong and the capital. Some messages that we originally wanted to send to the capital could not be sent. But since you have already sent people there, I estimate that the capital will be able to re-establish contact with us soon. Those Jurchens have been here long enough. It's time for them to know how wrong they were this time."
Xu Di nodded and said, "Father, since that's the case, I'll quickly take my men back. From now on, I will definitely keep a low profile and keep a low profile in my actions."
Xu Rao smiled and said, "There's no need to be so deliberate. Just do what you're supposed to do."
Xu Di thought of what the Marquis had told him before he left for Penglai, and said with a smile, "My grandfather also told me that I should become the prefect of Dengzhou within a few years. I think you should have a good talk with him about it."
Xu Rao smiled and said, "Don't worry about that. I reckon he'll change his career plans for you. What you did this time should serve as a warning to him. It's not easy to be a pioneer; if you don't do it right, you'll become a target for others."
Having made everything clear and achieved her expectations, Xu Rao took Xu Di back to the government office. On the way, they saw a stall selling wontons on the street. She pulled Xu Di to a seat and said, "Have a bowl of wontons. You'll be leaving with your men first thing tomorrow morning."
Since he no longer needed to stay in Liaodong, Xu Di began to think about his next plan. Thinking of the warhorses he had acquired, Xu Di felt a surge of excitement. What were these horses? They were money! He could sell the horses and make money, and do whatever he wanted with it.
The wontons were very delicious. The wonton vendors were an elderly couple. Although the Jurchens had been surrounding the prefecture for two days, things in the city were proceeding in an orderly manner, and the people had sufficient supplies, so they were not afraid.
The old man served Xu Rao and Xu Di some cooked wontons, and said with a smile, "Lord Xu, these two bowls are a gift from me, they're free."
Upon hearing this, Xu Rao smiled and said, "Old man, how can I not accept the money? This time, my son is treating me to this meal, so you can't refuse to pay."
Upon hearing this, Xu Di quickly took out a handful of copper coins from his purse. Xu Rao counted out a few and placed them in his father-in-law's hand, saying, "It's rare for a child to have such filial piety, you can't refuse the money."
The old man had no choice but to accept the money, but then he brought over a small plate of pickled vegetables and said, "Sir Xu, these are pickled vegetables that my wife made herself. Please have a taste."
After Xu Di thanked him, he took the small plate of pickled vegetables, tasted it, and found that it was indeed very delicious.
While eating, Xu Di looked at the few pedestrians scattered on the street and asked, "Dad, don't you have a curfew at night?"
Xu Rao said, "It's not time yet, but it'll be soon. Didn't you see this old man starting to pack his things? Curfew will be in a little while."
After eating, the father and son walked slowly along the street toward the government office. Before they even reached the government office, they saw a fast horse coming from the south gate. Xu Rao and Xu Di were standing in front of the government office when they saw the horse arrive. A man dismounted, bowed to Xu Rao and Xu Di, and said, "Reporting to you, sir, I have come from the border town. General Zhou sent me to deliver a message to you."
Xu Di took the letter sealed with wax. Xu Rao arranged for someone to settle the messenger, and then took Xu Di to the study.
After carefully reading the letter, Xu Rao handed it to Xu Di and sat down at the table to ponder it.
Xu Di saw that the letter was written by Zhou Qing. They had firmly blocked the main force of the Jin people outside the border. The Jin people in Liaodong Prefecture had already been surrounded by a portion of their troops. The next step was to lure the Jin people outside the border into the country, encircle them, and then annihilate them.
Although we have discussed how to deal with it, it is very risky to let so many Jurchens in now. If things go wrong, those brave and skilled Jurchens will march south along Liaodong Prefecture.
Xu Di took out the map he had drawn and carefully examined the terrain from Liaodong Prefecture all the way to the border. If there were a place where they could ambush, they might be able to wipe out those tens of thousands of Jurchens. However, Liaodong Prefecture did not have any particularly rugged terrain, so it would be difficult to set up an ambush.
Xu Rao also thought of this point. Bringing the Jurchens in was not only about eliminating them, but also about protecting the people inside the pass. Those Jurchens, whenever they entered the pass, burned, killed, and looted, committing all sorts of atrocities. Xu Rao did not want to exchange the sacrifice of the people for an opportunity to eliminate the Jurchens.
Xu Rao hesitated, but with an opportunity to eliminate the Jurchens right in front of him, he was unwilling to let it slip away.
Xu Di began to ponder the journey from Liaodong to the capital. There were several mountain ranges along the way. If he set up an ambush there, what would be his chances of success?
Thinking of this, Xu Di told Xu Rao his idea. Xu Rao listened and hesitated, saying, "Xu Di, this would be even riskier. Have you considered what would happen if they broke free of our ambush and headed all the way to the capital from here?"
Xu Di sneered and said, "Isn't this what many people want to see? It doesn't make sense that after scheming for so long, they would just let it pass without even seeing the Jurchens. If it's not like this, think about it yourself, is there a suitable place within Liaodong Prefecture?"
Indeed, no. After carefully examining the topographical map drawn by Xu Di, Xu Rao decided that she still needed to discuss it with Zhou Qingcheng and Kai.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
