Chapter 796 - 47: Every Strike Deadly, Renowned and Feared

In the twelfth year of Longhe, August.

——Just as the world’s attention was focused on the situation between Western Xia and the Liao Kingdom, the Great Song finally moved!.

And the target was directly aimed at Western Xia.

Gu Rui had already made comprehensive arrangements, whether it was in terms of provisions or marching routes.

There is no need to mention the marching routes.

The crucial issue of provisions was naturally covered under the guise of the military farming system.

In the roads of Shaanxi, the main force of the Song Army was fully deployed, splitting into three routes, like three bolts of lightning, penetrating straight into the heartland of Western Xia!

The first route, led by the famous general Zhong E, set out from Huanqing Road, traveling day and night, and swiftly attacked the southeastern gateway of Western Xia—Xiazhou State!

The second route, commanded by Yao Si, advanced north from Fuyan Road, aiming directly at Shizhou State!

The third route, considered a deadly strike, was led by the veteran Liu Changzu. It quietly assembled from Xihe Road, crossing the Yellow Sheep Plateau, and launched a surprise attack on the strategic southwestern town of Liangzhou State in Western Xia!

The three armies all targeted key locations within Western Xia!

Xiazhou State served as the southeastern shield of Western Xia’s capital, Xingqing Prefecture.

Shizhou State was the crucial point for controlling the Hetao Region from a distance.

As for Liangzhou State, it was the vital area for Western Xia to connect with the Western Regions and collect taxes.

In fact, this alone was enough to explain Gu Rui’s thoughts for this battle, which was to maintain the feasibility of attacking the capital of Western Xia while also taking the entire Western Regions back from Western Xia!

——The Western Regions were indeed too crucial.

In fact, for the Gu Clan, they could completely resist Western Xia by leveraging the foundation they had accumulated over many years in the Western Regions.

However, whether it was Gu Rui or several generations of people like Gu Jun, they did not do so.

Even Gu Yi followed the same approach.

The reason for this was similarly simple.

That is, such an action could potentially cause another division of the Western Regions.

After hundreds of years of accumulation and management by the Gu Clan, the Western Regions had long been integrated into the Kyushu. If another division occurred, the impact would be too significant!

They could not make such a decision.

Besides these overt measures, Gu Rui also had a hidden move.

The leader of the Qiang tribe, Dong Zhan, who had long been secretly supported by the Great Song, immediately led tens of thousands of Qiang soldiers to rise up upon seeing the imperial army was on the move, launching a fierce attack on the Western Xia’s Xiping Military Command from the direction of Qinghai Lake.

All these actions had already been calculated by Gu Rui.

His move clearly intended to secure the victory in one stroke, not wishing for any unexpected occurrences.

.....

——A sudden great war erupted.

Facing the sudden attack by the Song Army, Western Xia had no power to resist.

There was nothing they could do; they never expected the matter to turn out like this.

This was not out of absolute trust in the Gu Clan.

They just believed that the partition of the Liao Kingdom had apparent benefits for both countries, and no matter what, the Great Song should not make such a choice.

But the situation was beyond anyone’s expectations.

With the deployment of the Great Song army.

The Western Xia army had no capability to resist; cities fell one after another, collapsing like earth-and-mud!

Internal conflict was stirred once again.

Do not forget, Western Xia was already facing natural disasters.

This attack on the Liao Kingdom by Western Xia was to divert internal contradictions.

This commonly used means by rulers was effective, but often had a most fatal flaw!

That is, the domestic situation must not worsen!

But now...everything was over.

The desperate resistance of the Liao, coupled with the sudden entry of the Song Army, led the entire Western Xia territory to develop in an uncontrollable direction!

The situation of the entire world similarly underwent a sudden transformation at this time!

In just over a month, all defense lines of Western Xia successively broke.

——The unprepared defenders could not possibly withstand the Song Army, and the Western Xia elite tightly cornered by the Liao Army were also unable to retreat.

Faced with such a situation.

Western Xia could only continuously gather personnel internally and use diplomatic means to exert pressure on the Great Song.

Their main target was, naturally, the Gu Clan!

And the logic they used was equally simple.

——That is to question Gu Rui, was he planning to ruin the millennium reputation of the Gu Clan?

Indeed, even at this stage, these people still misjudged the Gu Clan.

The Gu Clan was never the kind to repay grievances with virtue.

All compassion and credibility were also only for the common people.

Kaifeng, Chuigong Hall.

Facing the hysterical questioning of the Western Xia envoy in Chuigong Hall, all the high-ranking officials with their purple robes bowed their heads and held their breath, only the candle flames crackled in the silence.

The envoy’s eyes were bloodshot, staring fiercely at Gu Rui by the imperial stairs, his voice trembling with agitation: "Lord Gu! You are the patriarch of the Gu Clan, and sworn ally to our Great Xia!"

"Now, having broken your word, do you not fear the ridicule of the world, do you not fear tarnishing the Gu Clan’s name?!"

These words were firm and resounded through the vast hall. Many courtiers were secretly shocked and could not help but steal glances at Gu Rui.

Yet Gu Rui slowly raised his eyes, his gaze calm as a deep pool.

He did not get angry, but instead, a hint of a cold smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"What the envoy speaks of reminds me of some old matters." His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone’s ears, "In the first year of Tongyuan, the Xia Lord Li Deming submitted a memorial to profess himself a vassal of our Great Song."

"Yet, before the ink of the alliance even dried, his son Li Yuanhao broke the faith."

"Later, he even attacked our frontier towns and slaughtered our people."

"Is this the faith of Western Xia?"

His voice grew lower and lower: "From the founding of Western Xia till now, it has invaded our Great Song borders forty-seven times, destroyed our forts and villages, kidnapped our people as slaves, and plundered our wealth to fill their military resources."

"How many widows and orphans cried in the middle of the night on Huanqing Road?"