Chapter 718: What is the World's Surname

If the post roads after the start of war are likened to a dynasty's meridians, then the endless flow of soldiers and provisions would be the empire's blood.

Currently, Beiman has demonstrated immense power capable of unsettling the Central Plains.

The Empress of Beiman, the Grand Peace Official of Qijian Leyu, and a stout man stood beside a post road, watching the busy transportation moving from north to south. Their expressions varied. The elderly woman, wearing a new mink coat, had eyes filled with pride. It was precisely under her measured and effective governance that, for over a decade, the increasingly unified Central Plains dynasty had not gained any advantage. She had even forced Liyang to pour half of its national tax revenue into the eastern front, ultimately leading to the restoration of Western Chu in Guangling Road. Her subjects, not to mention the "Prairie Eagles" bearing the Yelü surname, still included a constellation of meritorious generals such as Tuoba Pusa, Dong Zhuo, Liu Gui, Huang Songpu, Murong Baoding, and Yang Yuanzan. These stars shone brightly across the vast grasslands.

Standing beside the Empress was an unassuming old scholar in a green robe, an old man who had spent two decades traversing the Central Plains. His eyes were cold and indifferent.

The stout man, who kept cupping his hands and breathing into them to ward off the cold, was already enormous and appeared even more unwieldy after donning his armor.

The Empress of Beiman withdrew her gaze and turned to look at the stout man, who had once been infamous throughout Xijing. She teased, "Chuzhu of the South and Dong of the North, two stout men. Back then, you lost a battle to Chuzhu Lushan and were routed miserably. Although he is now the Protector-General of Beiliang, you are the Southern Court King. In terms of official rank, you have already surpassed him. Do you have the confidence to redeem yourself this time?"

Dong Zhuo, the Southern Court King who commanded the entire border war, for once, did not act playfully in front of the elderly woman. He rubbed his cheeks and said softly, "If I had the same troop strength as Luqiu'er, I reckon it would still be very difficult. But as it stands, I'm fighting his 300,000 with a million of my own. There's no reason to lose, but it feels a bit like an unfair victory. When I see Luqiu'er, he definitely won't be convinced."

The Empress of Beiman smiled, "I know my limitations; I'm not well-versed in warfare, so I've never had the bad habit of dictating to border generals. However, your troop deployment this time is truly unusual, so much so that my curiosity drove me to travel over eight hundred *li* to see you. Even though the Grand Peace Official patiently explained your intentions to me repeatedly on the way, I still wish to hear it directly from you. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease. Upon hearing of your plan, Huang Songpu was so furious his face turned ashen, and he even shamelessly begged me to allow him to resume his post as Southern Court King, all to make you pack your bags and leave, to prevent you from squandering the Southern Dynasty's twenty years of accumulated wealth in one go."

Dong Zhuo clenched his fist and tapped his frostbitten, red nose. He spoke in a muffled voice, "Among Liangzhou, Youzhou, and Liuzhou, which border our dynasty, Liuzhou is the easiest to capture, Youzhou is the most draining, but naturally, the northern front of Liangzhou is the toughest nut to crack."

At this point, Dong Zhuo paused. The Empress of Beiman waited patiently. However, the stout man fell completely silent. After waiting for a long time without him continuing, the elderly woman couldn't help but chuckle with annoyance, "Is that it?"

Dong Zhuo continued, "Logically, it's better to break one finger than injure ten. The best strategy would be to launch a main assault on Liangzhou, driving straight through, marching grandly all the way to Qingliang Mountain and the Northern Liang King's residence before stopping, while using relatively fewer troops on the two flanks to contain Youzhou and Liuzhou."

The Empress of Beiman hummed in agreement, clearly she also thought so. In fact, this was the conclusion reached by Beiman's initial strategy discussions. The withered bait of Liuzhou held no interest for Beiman. Attacking Liuzhou had little significance beyond stretching the supply lines. If they got bogged down in Liuzhou for too long, Beiman would suffer more losses than gains, as several elite iron cavalry units on the Liangzhou border possessed formidable long-range raiding capabilities. Li Yishan's creation of over a hundred thousand refugees in Liuzhou was initially intended to increase the strategic breadth and depth for Beiliang, whose territorial depth had always been a weakness.

Dong Zhuo put on a distressed expression and said, "This 'best strategy' was indeed the best, but after over ten thousand light cavalry from Youzhou infiltrated Jizhou, the situation began to change. Not to mention Beiliang has been flirting with the Western Regions for years. I'm afraid that by then, not only the area north of Jizhou, but even the Western Regions might produce a cavalry army to raid the Southern Dynasty. This would create a pincer attack, utterly devastating the Southern Dynasty's heartland. I've considered Xu Fengnian's character. He's a rogue who's never afraid of mutually assured destruction. He would definitely be capable of destroying the Southern Dynasty, even if it meant abandoning his Liangzhou base. Even if it meant sacrificing all the Beiliang Iron Cavalry, he would destroy Beiman's twenty years of painstakingly built foundation. This must be his plan."

Dong Zhuo suddenly spat forcefully and cursed, "Damn Liyang, their luck is truly good! After the Human Butcher Xu Xiao left, they got a madman like Xu Fengnian. Even if it were Chen Zhibao, I wouldn't have to be this conflicted!"

Dong Zhuo's eyes turned fierce, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Since Xu Fengnian wants to play a life-or-death game, it's simple: I won't give him a chance for tricks. Beiman's million-strong army will divide into three routes and advance simultaneously on all three fronts. I'd like to see how he maneuvers then. Anyway, we have a numerical advantage on every front. Yan Wenluan said 150,000 bodies are needed to fill the Gulu Pass, so I'll use 300,000 to wear them down! Liuzhou has 30,000 Dragon-Elephant Cavalry and those refugees? Then I'll use General Liu Gui's 200,000 to fight them! Liangzhou is tough? Is 500,000 enough for me? If not, then I'll just ask Your Majesty for another 200,000 or 300,000!"

The Empress of Beiman frowned, "If that's the case, while the Southern Dynasty would be free of worries, wouldn't the cost be too great?"

Dong Zhuo shook his head, "The Liyang court dared to use Western Chu for military training. We, Beiman, are a people of the horseback, dwelling where water and grass are found, and have been natural warriors since ancient times. Why should we not dare to use Beiliang for military training?"

The elderly woman hesitated, about to speak but stopped. Dong Zhuo said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I, Dong Zhuo, can guarantee you that even if fighting Beiliang costs our dynasty 500,000 or even 600,000 troops, as long as we conquer Beiliang, I will deliver a second 'million-strong army' into your hands!"

The Grand Peace Official finally spoke, "Your Majesty, after winning this war, Beiliang, along with the Jizhou front, will soon become a second Southern Dynasty. All civil officials, high and low, of the Southern Dynasty are already prepared. Wherever the hooves of our iron cavalry tread, that will be the beginning of the literati putting brush to paper. This is the true backup plan I have prepared for Beiman. As soon as the Beiman army conquers those territories, I will be able to manage them immediately, allowing the Beiman Dynasty's border to continuously shift southward, following our warhorses."

The Empress of Beiman nodded, but quickly asked with concern, "I am not doubting your abilities, but will the Zhao Imperial Clan of Liyang give us enough time to consolidate our gains? And won't Gu Jiantang's eastern front seize the opportunity to cause trouble?"

The Grand Peace Official calmly replied, "The world believes the restoration of Western Chu is a fleeting moment, but I firmly believe that Cao Changqing will be able to see the walls of Tai'an City."

Dong Zhuo laughed, "People like Yuan Benxi believe that after the war between Liang and Beiman, even if we're given the entire Northwest, the border will still be supported by the two pillars: Gu Jiantang of Liangliao and Chen Zhibao of Western Shu. That's why they are happy to see Beiliang bleed its last drop. But if what the Grand Peace Official says is true, then Gu Jiantang will have to leave Liangliao and return to Tai'an City. At that point, we can leave a small force in Beiliang to deal with Chen Zhibao. Even if we take a step back, the strategic depth we'll have by then will be Beiliang plus the Southern Dynasty. This is a colossal geographical advantage that cannot be ignored. Naturally, this can greatly reduce the losses caused by Chen Zhibao's military tactics. No matter how brilliant Chen Zhibao is, it will be difficult for him to turn the tide in a short time. But we, together with Western Chu, can point our spearhead towards Tai'an City and see the world's largest city, said to have a million inhabitants. I, Dong Zhuo, must see how high the walls of that city truly are."

The elderly woman exclaimed with emotion, "To finish training our troops against the formidable Beiliang Iron Cavalry, then ascend the walls of Tai'an City, and subsequently eliminate the stubbornly resisting Gu Jiantang and Chen Zhibao across the Central Plains, with Beiman's sons marching all the way to the Southern Frontier, throwing their whips into the sea! Although I am a woman, even I feel a surge of heroic spirit just thinking about it!"

Dong Zhuo grinned.

The Grand Peace Official glanced at the Southern Court King, who was head and shoulders above everyone else in the Beiman court, with a complicated expression.

The Empress of Beiman raised a hand and patted the stout man's shoulder, saying calmly, "As long as you can reach that stage, I am not Zhao Dun of Liyang. I can tolerate a Dong Zhuo who carves out territory. South of Guangling River, all can bear the surname Dong! I want the history books for hundreds, thousands of years to remember the name Dong Zhuo! After my hundred years..."

She looked south and laughed loudly, "As for what the world's surname will be in the future, I have no children anyway, so I won't concern myself with it!"

With a thud, Dong Zhuo knelt to the ground.

The elderly woman continued to gaze southward.

Old Cripple, the world could have been surnamed Xu.

In the early spring of the second year of Xiangfu, a squad of Beiliang scout archers patrolled the outer reaches of Gulu Pass in Youzhou. As the sun rose, warding off much of the chill brought by the late spring cold, the morning dew on their iron armor gradually dried.

These elite scouts each rode two horses. Their mounts were all top-grade warhorses from Beiliang's largest pastures. With war imminent, good horses from all major pastures were prioritized for this special troop type. Compared to the tense and volatile Liangzhou front, Youzhou, with its greater strategic depth, offered more reassurance. This was because both Liang and Beiman acknowledged that Beiman would attack Youzhou. Just taking Gulu Pass would require over a hundred thousand lives to fill or flatten it. The Gulu Pass Fortress system, meticulously built by Xu Xiao, the Human Butcher, over more than a decade, was considered the pinnacle of defensive engineering in Central Plains warfare history.

Endless streams of black-armored iron cavalry surged into Gulu Pass like a flood. This scene resembled the great tidal bore of Guangling River.