Chapter 795 - 46: The Summer-Liao Bloody Battle, Great Song Unleashes Its Sword

As these people flowed into the Great Song,

it meant yet another enhancement to the Great Song’s national strength!

Gu Rui also arranged for these people with great prudence. Besides assigning them to basic tasks like farming and working in tea mountain workshops, he settled many on the frontier areas, achieving multiple benefits in one stroke.

This move also caused a significant impact.

The rumors spread almost instantly throughout the land, letting all the people know that migrating to the Great Song would leave them a shred of hope for survival.

It wasn’t just the people of Liao, but also those of Western Xia.

Especially those in the hardest-hit areas!

Although the Western Xia’s war indeed diverted everyone’s attention, the people most affected by disasters wouldn’t care about anything else.

They only wanted a chance to survive!

The twelfth year of the Longhe era, May.

Northern Desert.

The military decree of Weiming ordered the forceful capture of Liao’s key outpost in the Northern Desert, Kao Lao Lake, at all costs, acquiring a large number of supplies.

The impact of this battle was as significant as a large-scale confrontation.

Because this battle expanded their foothold in the Northern Desert!

For a crucial battle for the fate of a nation, this was extremely critical.

Unfortunately, although they achieved victory, the price paid by Weiming’s decree was not small.

For such a vital location.

Liao’s defenses run deep, and many Western Xia people were left there. The key issue was that after this battle, the remnants of the Liao Army dissolved into smaller units, continuously harassing the long supply lines, significantly delaying the Eastern advance of the Western Army.

This is a strategy of trading space for time!

Though a city was lost, it successfully dragged the Western Army of Western Xia into a quagmire of attrition, preventing them from joining forces with the Eastern route, thereby initially achieving the western strategic intent.

This is also extremely crucial.

If it were another city, in comparison, it would certainly be profitable for Liao.

Unfortunately, Kao Lao Lake is just too important!

No matter how, for Liao, it accounts for a loss.

Because though the Western Xia army could break through their current defenses, with their strength, it is difficult to reclaim Kao Lao Lake.

June, Huang River Stone Bridge.

The fierce battle continued.

No, this could be considered the most brutal battle since the war began.

Perhaps because of the loss of Kao Lao Lake, coupled with the continuous migration of the populace, it led to the lords of Liao increasing their oppression on the people, and naturally exerting more effort in defense.

The Western Xia "Iron Hawk" heavily armored cavalry repeatedly charged, and after three days of bloody battle, finally tore open a breach in the Liao Army’s defensive line, seizing the bridgehead on the northern bank of the Stone Bridge, bringing their forces one step closer to Central Capital.

During this time, both sides suffered no less than twenty thousand casualties.

In this whole battle, almost all of the Western Xia and Liao’s elite were brought out.

Bodies piled like mountains, broken spears and arrows covered the ground.

The dying whinnies of warhorses and the groans of the wounded were interwoven, with some having their intestines spilling out yet still struggling to crawl forward, leaving long marks in the blood-soaked mud.

The battlefield was filled with cries of lament.

However, for Western Xia, the victory was costly, and the elite Iron Hawk suffered significant losses.

Although the Liao Army retreated again, retreating to the stronghold, their main force hadn’t collapsed. The soldiers garrisoned in the fortress fought with indomitable spirit, still firmly defending the last barrier of the Central Capital.

Meanwhile, the aristocracy of Liao continued sending emissaries hastily to the Great Song.

They were truly at a dead end.

Conceding land... doubling the annual tribute... even offering population, bowing in submission.

One after another, pledges that would have been unthinkable on normal days were being seriously considered by them.

They were completely driven to a desperate situation!

Only this path could give them a glimmer of chance.

Kaifeng, Grand Tutor’s residence.

The study was illuminated by flickering candlelight, casting shadows over several gravely serious faces.

Gu Rui sat at the head, with Zeng Bu, Wang Anshi, and other key ministers seated on both sides, the atmosphere suffused with a near-tangible tension.

In front of them, the Liao’s special envoy, the Southern Court Herald Yelv Yudu, disregarded protocol and knelt deeply on the floor, his forehead touching the cold stone tiles.

His surname and title alone were sufficient to indicate Yelv Yudu’s status in Liao.

And his current actions.

Clearly, they had no other choice!

"Lord Gu! Honored ministers!" Yelv Yudu’s voice, hoarse from the long journey, carried an urgency and desperation of impending doom, "My ruler is willing to cede the entire Central Capital circuit and all counties south of the Tokyo circuit Liaoyang Prefecture!"

"Henceforth, the Great Song’s forces may directly aim at Shangjing, controlling Liaodong!"

"We only ask that the superior country consider past friendships and dispatch heavenly soldiers to resolve our dire straits!"

He specifically mentioned "south of Liaoyang Prefecture," which is the richest region in Liaodong, containing Liao’s critical salt fields and agricultural zones.

It was also Liao’s last bastion of heritage in the Liaodong Peninsula.

Upon these words, even the usually steady Wang Anshi’s gaze narrowed in concentration.

If they could acquire this area, the Great Song would not only gain vast pastures but also create a pincer movement against the Liao remnants from the east.

Yet Yelv Yudu had not exhausted his negotiating chips, raising his head abruptly, with bloodshot eyes: "If this is insufficient, our Liao is willing to triple the annual tribute, no, quintuple it!"

"The benefits of Liaodong’s salt and iron, and the convenience of Bohai Bay’s fisheries and salt, all shall be shared with the superior country!"

"And... and our Liao is willing to offer three thousand palace cavalry, five thousand warhorses, just to ask for your king’s forces to look northward!"

He shouted these terms almost frantically, each word carrying a sense of blood and tears.

Ceding the Central Capital circuit that maintains the nation’s foundation along with half of Tokyo circuit, pledging allegiance and tribute, on top of handing over strategic resources and economic lifelines... this was no simple gesture of yielding, but exchanging the future of the country completely.

But what else could they do?

If the Western Xia iron cavalry overran Liao, then they would be left with nothing and even their lives could be at risk.

This move, though seemingly selling out the nation...

At least, it would leave these aristocrats with something.

Setting everything else aside, they could still keep a lifetime of wealth and status.

The study room fell into dead silence, only Yelv Yudu’s heavy breathing was audible.

All eyes of the Song ministers were fixed on Gu Rui, each face exhibiting sheer astonishment.

These people were the very core of the Great Song.

At this moment, they couldn’t help but remember the scene when Gu Rui made this decision in court back then.

"Did the Grand Tutor foresee all of this from the beginning?" This thought simultaneously arose in everyone’s mind.

—Weakening both nations!

These seemingly offhand five words were now as weighty as a thousand pounds, stirring their thoughts, realizing that from the start, the Grand Tutor had looked beyond immediate gains and losses, aiming for a more distant strategy.

Amidst the silence, Gu Rui slowly set down his tea cup,

calmly surveyed the kneeling Yelv Yudu, his face impassive, as though the startling terms proposed were nothing more than a breeze stirring the water’s surface.

"Envoy," he finally spoke, his voice steady yet causing Yelv Yudu to tremble all over, "stand up and speak."

Yelv Yudu dared not disobey; he struggled to his feet, his face filled with bitterness.

He no longer held out hope.

For in the preceding months, the emissaries sent by Liao had been continuously rejected; the Great Song’s stance couldn’t have been clearer.

The Liao was now at its wits’ end, unable to offer any more stakes.

Why then would Gu Rui agree?

Yet Gu Rui’s next words made him lift his head in shock, almost unable to believe his ears.

"The Great Song, can deploy troops."

These words struck like a thunderclap, leaving Yelv Yudu stunned, unable to respond, and at a loss for words.

However, Gu Rui paid him no heed.

He didn’t even demand Liao to show sincerity first by ceding land or the like.

Of course, this was not out of kindness.

But because he was certain that Liao didn’t dare to play tricks.

If he were to demand land cession at this moment, it would arouse Western Xia’s attention, making it a costly gain.

Yet, that was secondary.

The truly critical issue was that the time had come!

—Indeed, as the Western Xia army continued to advance, the time for the Great Song to unsheathe its sword had arrived!.....

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