Chapter 792 - 45: The Gu Clan’s Name Is Weighty, But Not as Weighty as the Unification of Kyushu

"Have you only heard of their desire to take the Central Capital route? Have you thought carefully about the situation if they already control the Western Capital route, and if they acquire Liao’s Central Capital, what kind of scenario would unfold?"

His tone paused slightly before he spoke again, "From the Western Regions in the west to the Central Capital in the east, spanning thousands of miles, all will be connected in one sweep!"

"By then, Western Xia will completely control the Southern Desert, hold the key point on the Silk Road, and possess the source of the prairie cavalry!"

"When that time comes—"

"A unified and powerful Western Xia, with territories no less than Liao’s and more aggressive, will be entrenched in the northwest of our Great Song. Do you think our Great Song can still rest easy then?"

The hall was dead silent, and one could hear a pin drop.

The ministers who were arguing incessantly before now all had cold sweat on their backs.

They only saw the fat meat in front of them but didn’t think about the terrifying consequences of feeding the hungry wolf beside them.

Gu Rui looked around at everyone, taking in their shock and fear. His tone softened slightly, but became even more profound: "Liao is indeed like the setting sun, even if it survives this ordeal, it is hard to recover its former glory."

"Yet Western Xia is currently in a time of ferocious growth. This earthquake and flood, though seemingly a heavy blow, may very well bring unity and rebirth after destruction!"

"If allowed to annex Liao’s Central Capital and integrate the Southern Desert, its power will surely far exceed today’s Liao!"

He paused, speaking decisively: "Therefore, rather than nurturing a tiger to bring calamity and watching Western Xia grow stronger, it is better to strike at its heart while it is entangled with Liao and its domestic defenses are weak!"

"If Western Xia’s elite troops go north to attack Liao, their homeland will certainly be vulnerable."

"Our Great Song’s army can advance westward to reclaim Lingzhou and capture Xingqing, cutting off their foundation!"

"At that time, Western Xia will be unable to attend to both ends and will surely face disaster!"

"And this sick tiger, Liao, if it engages Western Xia in another battle, will also be severely weakened, with no strength left to march south."

Gu Rui’s gaze finally returned to the direction of the throne, his voice filled with an absolute confidence of overseeing the entire situation: "This is a divine opportunity, to weaken two countries in one stroke!"

"If we eliminate this threat by morning, then the north will no longer have any strong enemies hindering us."

"Then, our Great Song could consolidate national strength and unify the land, achieving success as naturally as flowing water!"

Gu Rui’s expression remained calm throughout.

He had thought of everything long before.

If he were his former self, he would definitely agree to Western Xia’s request, because he was once proud and ambitious, and no matter how much Western Xia developed, it could not catch his attention.

But now things are completely different.

The standoff among the three kingdoms; even when Great Song exerted its full strength, it was difficult to wipe out one nation.

Dividing Liao appeared to be a good opportunity.

But in essence, it was not.

If Western Xia were truly allowed to develop, with its strategic position of controlling the Western Regions, the troubles it would bring in the future would surely surpass Liao’s.

On the contrary—if we can actually weaken Western Xia, it would indeed bring peace of mind to Great Song.

Even if he couldn’t see the day of unifying the realm in his lifetime.

He could pass this responsibility to future generations.

Each generation has its own duties, and Gu Rui had long planned his life’s goal: to disrupt the relations between the two countries and weaken both!

And now... he was finally about to succeed!

The entire hall remained silent.

Hearing Gu Rui’s speech, the ministers couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

Gu Rui wasn’t impatient either, he simply sat quietly in place.

Only after a long time.

Did everyone finally bow to the Emperor and Gu Rui in unison?

Thus, the matter was settled just like that.

....

Time passed quickly.

Regarding the various moves of Great Song, the entire Western Xia paid no attention, because Gu Rui had already signed an alliance with them.

The treaty in the name of the Gu Clan’s Patriarch was something they trusted very much.

In contrast, Liao immediately became highly alarmed.

Liao’s envoy almost immediately rushed to Great Song to meet Gu Rui, pleading with him to not act impulsively, even bringing up the "brotherly nations" relationship between Song and Liao.

Aiming to persuade Great Song not to indulge Western Xia.

No one knows what happened during the meeting between Gu Rui and the Liao envoy, only that the Liao envoy was eventually expelled from the Grand Tutor’s residence.

This immediately sparked speculation.

Many believed the Liao envoy must have offended Gu Rui, thus Great Song would certainly not dispatch troops.

The world was rife with rumors once again.

And in the eleventh year of Longhe, in October.

Cold winds swept across the Southern Desert prairie, withered grass lay flat, a landscape of killing intent, the long-pent-up force finally erupted at this moment.

The Western Xia Secretariat, following the Sovereign’s decree, issued a proclamation, denouncing the Liao Monarch as "confused and unvirtuous, detested by heaven," immediately, the Western Xia army, long gathered at the border, split into eastern and western routes, like two drawn sabers, thrusting directly into Liao territory.

The eastern route was the main force, led by King Jin, Wei Ming Anhui, with the spearhead aimed directly at Liao’s Central Capital and Great Qing Prefecture.

This route was the elite of Western Xia, committed to the national effort.

Its main force departed from Yunnei Prefecture, an important town in the eastern part of the Western Capital route controlled by Western Xia, which guarded the Yellow River crossing, rich in water and grass, originally the southwestern military headquarters of Liao, now the forward base for Western Xia’s eastern invasion.

The army did not head directly northeast towards Central Capital after departing Yunnei but first moved north, through a passage in the Yin Mountain range, entering the Chilechuan.

This maneuver aimed to bypass the Yellow River and mountain barriers, utilizing the flat terrain of the prairie to fully exploit the mobility advantage of Western Xia’s cavalry.

Once on the vast Southern Desert prairie, tens of thousands of cavalry surged eastward like a torrent, targeting the southwest gateway of Liao’s Central Capital route—Songshan Province.

After capturing Songshan, they could follow the Tu River valley, pressing straight towards the city under the Great Qing Prefecture of Liao!