On the battlefield in southern Xinjiang
The war had just ended. Huo Ying'an looked at the corpses scattered all over the ground with a solemn expression. The smell of blood in the air was so strong that it made people breathless. The originally yellow soil had long been dyed red.
The deputy general said worriedly, "General, we suffered 12,000 casualties in this battle. We could barely handle it before, but now that Donglin has intervened, we can't hold on at all."
"There's also the issue of food and fodder. If the capital doesn't receive any food and fodder, the soldiers can only hold out for half a month at most..."
Huo Ying'an's brows were filled with gloom when he heard this, and his voice was hoarse: "Send it to the capital city quickly, eight hundred miles away. His Majesty will send reinforcements."
"As for the food and fodder problem, if all else fails, we can only... secretly rob the village. This general fought tooth and nail to protect the southern border, and in the end, it was all for them."
"If that's the case, they should take out the food. After all, if I hadn't been guarding this place, they would have died long ago."
The harshness in his words made the deputy general feel a chill in his heart.
He said tremblingly, "General, you mean that we should go to the village to get food, but if we really take it away, I'm afraid the people in the village will starve to death."
Huo Ying'an turned his head to look at him, a sinister smile on his lips. He raised his hand and saw blood dripping from it, obviously he was seriously injured.
"So what? If the soldiers have no food, the people will die if the city is captured. It's better to take the food from the people temporarily. When the food arrives, the problem will naturally be solved."
The deputy general didn't dare to look at him, so he lowered his head and said nothing.
"Deputy General Yang, it's your choice whether you want to go to the battlefield hungry or full. Be careful when you take food from the village, and leave some for them."
"...Yes, General."
Huo Ying'an looked at the gloomy sky and his brows slowly furrowed. Originally, he had no problem dealing with the Huns, but now Donglin got involved, clearly wanting to get a piece of the pie.
Dagan has no chance of winning against these two countries. I just don't know which cities Your Majesty intends to cede in exchange for a few years of peace and recuperation.
Yes, he didn't want to fight at all. Why bother fighting when he knew he would die? He could just delay it for a few years and then let the Jiang family fight.
There was a calculation in Huo Ying'an's eyes. Fortunately, the Jiang family was still there. It would be best to let them come to southern Xinjiang to fight. If they lost, it would have nothing to do with him, but if they won, the credit would be his.
Although the hope of winning is slim, why not give it a try? It doesn't matter if I die.
The express messenger, who was traveling 800 miles, changed horses all the way and rushed. If a horse died on the way, he would replace it. After a few days, he arrived in the capital and delivered the letter.
After reading the letter, Emperor Gan became gloomy.
He shouted loudly: "Come here, go and invite the Prime Minister, the Grand Tutor, and the old Duke, and tell them that I have something important to discuss with them."
Jinzhong bowed and left.
An hour later, several ministers were invited to the council hall. They looked at each other, turned away, and remained silent.
The hall door creaked open, and Jinzhong lowered his head and said politely, "Please come in, my Lords. His Majesty is inside."
"Um."
Emperor Gan looked at the person who came in and waved his hand: "Close the door. I have important matters to discuss with my beloved ministers. Jinzhong, you should also leave. Do not let anyone near without my permission."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As the sound of the door closing was heard, several people raised their heads to look at the Holy Face, only to see that his hair was gray, and his usually energetic look now had a somewhat decadent look.
Their hearts tightened, and they exchanged glances. No wonder His Majesty had been attending court behind the curtain recently. He didn't expect that he had aged so quickly.
Emperor Gan raised his hand and stroked his graying hair. A sinister look flashed across his eyes as he whispered, "I have asked you to come here to discuss an important matter. An express letter has arrived from the southern border, traveling eight hundred miles."
"The Xiongnu shamelessly tore up the truce agreement, and the ambitious Donglin also got involved. I'm afraid that the southern border will be...undefendable."
"Once Qinglan, Luoshui, and Anning are conquered, the Xiongnu from the east will be able to attack the capital directly. By then, no one will be able to stop them and the situation will be very dangerous."
When they heard this, their hearts sank. They had not expected the situation to be so serious. The national treasury was empty, and without good generals to guard the southern border, they were afraid that the country would really be destroyed.
Seeing that they were silent, Emperor Gan whispered, "Tell us all, is there any way to solve this problem? Now that Donglin has gotten involved, it's beyond the power of Emperor Gan to resist."
"Which country should we seek support from? Tell us."
“……!!”
The Prime Minister's eyes rolled around and he whispered, "Your Majesty, among the four countries now, the only ones Dagan can choose are Yan and Beixia. The other small countries are of little use."
"The best choice would be Beixia, which can make Donglin fear it. However, Beixia has a woman as the emperor, which is a bit humiliating. If we want a marriage alliance, only the prince can go."
Upon hearing this, the old Duke whispered, "Beixia has always been hostile to other countries. Even if Dagan is willing to form a marriage alliance, I'm afraid the other party will not agree. Dagan is better off looking for Yan State."
"Although Yan State's military strength is not strong, it is indeed the richest of the four countries. If a war breaks out, food and military pay will be indispensable..."
The Grand Tutor waited for them to finish speaking before speaking, "Your Majesty, I believe both sides should test the waters. If Beixia agrees, then Beixia would be the more suitable choice."
"Have you two forgotten how arrogant Donglin was thirty years ago, using war to support war and hoping to unify the world? In the end, they suffered a great loss in Beixia and were almost wiped out."
"Since then, Donglin has been obedient for decades. To them, Beixia is a nightmare. If Dagan wants an ally, he will naturally look for Beixia, which has greater deterrent power."
"As for the State of Yan, no matter how much silver and food they have, it is not as effective as a fist. War is not the goal. Da Gan can no longer withstand war. The best way is to intimidate and negotiate."
The old Duke stroked his beard and nodded, "Grandmaster, what you said makes sense. Beixia is naturally the best choice for Dagan. However, they have been isolated from the outside world for many years and have no contact with other countries at all."
"If Da Gan first approaches Beixia and is rejected, and then turns to Yan State, he will be even more vulnerable and passive. This is truly a dilemma."
The Grand Tutor gave him a deep look and said methodically, "We must give it a try no matter what. If it doesn't work, we'll see. But if it does, and the news gets out, how can Donglin dare to attack Nanjiang?"
"Our goal has never been to fight, but to rest and recuperate. The potatoes in the Northern Wasteland are in season, and the treasury is so empty that we can't afford to fight a war without them."
"As long as we can delay it for a year or two, it will be enough for Da Gan. We also need to have Northern Wilderness recruit and train soldiers as soon as possible, and send them to Southern Border to defend the city..."
Emperor Gan felt somewhat apprehensive when he heard this. If the Northern Wilderness was allowed to recruit and train soldiers on a large scale, and if they showed signs of rebellion, the capital would fall even faster.
The Prime Minister narrowed his eyes and said, "Grandmaster, have you ever considered the consequences of allowing the Northern Wilderness to launch a large-scale conscription? If the Jiang family rebels, how will the imperial court be able to resist?"
"Really? If the Jiang family had any rebellious intentions, they would have already done so. They would never have obediently gone to the Northern Wilderness. Prime Minister, please consider the overall situation."
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