Chapter 861: Wind and Snow Iron Cavalry Descends to the South (9)

Xu Fengnian said softly, "Before Liyang, historically there were generally two routes for Northern Mang to advance south into the Central Plains. One was to enter Beiliang, occupy Western Shu, and advance from west to east, enjoying a commanding position. The second was to move south through the Jizhou gateway, directly penetrating the Central Plains' heartland, which led to three disasters affecting the capital region of the Dafeng Dynasty. Now there are three routes; besides attacking Beiliang's Jizhou, there's also the addition of Liangliao. The reason is simple: Liyang's capital is too far north. Emperor Zhao Li, back then, rejected the proposal to move the capital south to the Guangling River area, citing that a monarch should defend the nation's borders. So, ordinarily, if the Northern Mang army attacks Liaodong and wins, they can directly assault Tai'an City, which is almost a once-and-for-all solution."

The old monk said with a smile, "Your Highness, you can say 'but' now."

This time, not only did the old spy have to be forcibly restrained by Yuan Zuozong to prevent him from drawing his sword and attacking someone, but even Xu Yanbing, who had been observing with a cold eye, began to frown, showing a hint of anger.

Xu Fengnian said calmly, "But, but there are 300,000 Beiliang border troops, and most importantly, the existence of over a hundred thousand elite cavalry. Of course, also because of the Liangliao border fortifications built with half the nation's resources. The coexistence of these two prevents Northern Mang from acting rashly. Once Tai'an City cannot be captured within a month, the Beiliang cavalry can use the northern border line, centered on Jizhou, as a supply base to rapidly launch a long-distance raid into Liaodong. In this way, the Northern Mang army would be forced into a desperate struggle, and once the Liyang Southern relief armies arrive, Northern Mang would have no chance of victory. As for the Northern Mang army breaking through from Jizhou in the middle, even a country scholar who only talks theory would know that's a foolish move. So, does this mean that our Beiliang border army is indispensably responsible for Liyang and the Central Plains, and that their contributions are indispensable?"

The old monk retorted, "Based on this deduction, is it not so?"

Xu Fengnian smiled, "No, and yes. The key lies in the fact that both the court and Beiliang believe that the Beiliang Iron Cavalry is merely the Xu family's private army, recognizing only the Xu family's royal banner, not imperial edicts, and not the Zhao family's emperor. Then a problem arises for both the Xu and Zhao families, one that neither can avoid. Xu Xiao had thought about this problem back then: if his eldest son was a useless fop who took after neither his father nor his mother, could he go to Tai'an City and live a life of pleasure as an imperial son-in-law, untouched by any troubles? Or perhaps exchange his fief for one in the Central Plains interior and live as a peaceful prince? I imagine Emperor Zhaodun of Liyang had considered this problem many times more. That is, how to ensure that Northern Mang first battles Beiliang to the death, and under the premise of a stable transition of Beiliang's military power, could the unruly Beiliang be given a new surname, a new master? Many in the Central Plains' court and public say that during the Spring and Autumn conflicts, Gu Jiantang, who merely debuted later than Xu Xiao, could similarly have annihilated the Six States. However, because six of the eight Spring and Autumn states outside Liyang had already been destroyed by Xu Xiao, Gu Jiantang could only helplessly pick up the scraps behind the Xu family's grand army. There was nothing he could do; it was just bad timing that he was over a decade younger than Xu Xiao and joined the army over a decade later. Otherwise, Grand General Gu Jiantang would certainly not have stopped at achievements involving only two states. Master, perhaps at this moment, you can't help but ask, 'Is that not so?'"

The old monk couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Even the young monk, who had been completely bewildered from start to finish, found it amusing.

Yuan Zuozong smiled knowingly. Xu Yanbing also relaxed his tightly furrowed brow.

Xu Fengnian sighed, a slight smile on his lips, a rare touch of pride, and shook his head, saying to himself, "The answer is, not quite. Because if it were Gu Jiantang, he wouldn't have won the Battle of Xileibi, nor would he have been able to defeat Western Chu, which was not without the strength to fight after its defeat then."

The old monk was noncommittal, clearly skeptical. Although the old man was a remnant of Western Chu, he had resigned from office early on to become a reclusive wanderer in the martial world. Initially, he was a civil official who enjoyed philosophical discussions but was not skilled in military affairs. For that extremely tragic war between the two states, his pain was profound, but his insights were not necessarily deep.

Xu Fengnian suppressed a smile and said, "Gu Jiantang himself said that he couldn't win the Battle of Xileibi back then, and he said it personally to Xu Xiao when no one else was around."

The old monk, looking somewhat embarrassed, instinctively raised his arm as if to touch his bald head, but only felt his worn leather hat.

Xu Fengnian suddenly asked, "Master, why did you previously say that only Xu Xiao could defend the crucial Northwest region in the early Yonghui era?"

The old monk did not hide anything and said, "It was a heartfelt confession from General Xu Gong, of the Xu clan from Jiangnan, that he shared with this humble monk. I know the fact but not the reason behind it; I merely repeated his words."

Xu Fengnian gave a wry smile, "To be honest, the leading general who obstructed the Beiliang Iron Cavalry from going to Guangling this time was none other than Xu Gong, the Vice Minister of War."

The old monk was speechless.

Xu Fengnian shifted back to the previous topic, "When I first traveled the martial world, Zhao Gou attempted assassinations multiple times. As for the earliest assassination attempts that occurred at the Beiliang Prince's manor before that, I believe Master would not believe that they were without Zhao Gou's involvement either."

The old monk nodded, entirely convinced of this matter.

Xu Fengnian smiled, "It was only when I entered the capital as the heir apparent later that I learned the then-Empress, now the Empress Dowager, had privately obstructed Zhao Gou."

"Why was that?"

"From her personal perspective, perhaps at that time, she felt that some familial bond between the Xu and Zhao families still remained, or perhaps she inevitably felt a bit guilty about the 'White Robe Case' in the capital back then. But the real crux was that her consideration was more long-term and more beneficial to the nation. That is, having a profligate heir apparent in Beiliang, a Xu family eldest son who could potentially be a court puppet, was far better than Xu Xiao simply rebelling in a fit of rage. In fact, at that time, she and the man on the dragon throne had significant disagreements. Emperor Zhaodun