Chapter 174 – Ignorant External Minister

The Ruen Dynasty’s army changed its course. An ocean of five hundred thousand soldiers marched across the desert, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Not long after the Run army changed course, a secret message reached the general of the Northern Qiang invasion at Yanchi Pass.

The general held the letter in his hand. His face was rugged, with a short beard on his chin, but at this moment, his lips were pressed together tightly. His brow furrowed deeply and his eyes were filled with confusion.

The general was not the only one puzzled.

"Leave fifty thousand soldiers to hold Yanchi Pass, and send seventy thousand due southeast to attack Liangzhou?" Seated on his throne, Yelü Jiejia looked at the scholar standing in the hall.

Yelü Jiejia rubbed his chin, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s. "Explain yourself. What is the purpose of this move?"

Standing below the throne and wearing a faded scholar’s robe, Keo Gu'en faced the ruthlessly decisive monarch with complete composure. He seemed as relaxed as if he were in a teahouse making small talk with a friend.

Pacing calmly with his hands behind his back, he said, "Yanchi Pass is the lifeline of the Ruen Dynasty. We’ve taken the initiative, and capturing Yanchi Pass was inevitable. The true confrontation begins now."

Keo Gu’en paused, glancing at Yelü Jiejia on the throne. Yelü Jiejia’s expression darkened, seemingly displeased.

"Cease the suspense. Speak."

Keo Gu’en smiled slightly and continued, "With Yanchi Pass as a foothold, either moving south to Jibei or west to Ningye would be a solid choice. Anyone with insight can guess our next moves. They just wouldn’t know whether we would strike Jibei or Ningye."

"Of course. That's exactly what I was planning on doing." Yelü Jiejia’s gaze followed Keo Gu’en’s movements. "Then why insist on attacking Liangzhou? To me, this is a risky move. Should the Ruen army intercept us, they wouldn’t even need many troops... Just twenty thousand could delay us for days, and our troops would be surrounded on all fronts. Even if we break through, the losses would be significant."

"Your analysis is correct, Your Majesty, but"—Keo Gu’en squinted, smiling—"what if no one stops us?"

"Then we’d take Liangzhou with ease..." Yelü Jiejia’s words trailed off as he stopped mid-sentence.

Yelü Jiejia drew in a sharp breath, staring at Keo Gu’en with amazement.

"It seems Your Majesty has found the answer... Liangzhou is, for the Ruen Dynasty, almost as important as Qiyang in the east and Tianjing, their imperial capital. And why does Liangzhou hold such importance?" Keo Gu’en smiled and nodded at Yelü Jiejia.

Yelü Jiejia replied instinctively.

"The canal..."

"Exactly." Keo Gu’en snapped his fingers. "The most important river in the land, the Wanglong River, originates in Liangzhou. The grain and tribute sent annually from there to Tianjing accounts for nearly forty percent of the imperial capital's total supply!"

Keo Gu’en’s eyes gleamed. "Once we take Liangzhou, we can use the canal to strike directly at Tianjing! If capturing Yanchi Pass placed a stake above the Ruen Dynasty’s heart, then taking Liangzhou would drive a blade into its chest."

After saying this, Keo Gu’en looked up slightly, gazing at the man seated on the throne.

Yelü Jiejia rested his head on his hand, his eyes closed in thought. His foot repeatedly tapped the floor, revealing his inner turmoil despite his outward calm.

Both men remained silent. In the quiet grand hall, the rhythmic tapping was the only sound that could be heard.

After an unknown length of time, the tapping finally stopped. Yelü Jiejia exhaled deeply and said in a low voice, "No... I think this move is still too risky. Advancing on Jibei or Ningye step by step would be much safer."

He paused before continuing, "I admit, your plan is indeed tempting, but I can’t gamble with hundreds of thousands of troops. You should understand that if we fail, our Great Qiang is finished. Besides, there’s no guarantee that the Ruen Dynasty won’t send two hundred thousand soldiers to block our path, is there?"

"They won't," Keo Gu’en interrupted before Yelü Jiejia could finish, "I can guarantee it."

"

Eh

?" Yelü Jiejia was taken aback but quickly frowned, seemingly annoyed. His voice grew louder as he questioned his strategist, "You guarantee it? How?"

"The Ruen Dynasty has no more troops," Keo Gu’en looked Yelü Jiejia in the eye. "At least, none that they can send north."

"What do you mean?" Yelü Jiejia squinted.

Keo Gu’en smiled confidently. "The Run Dynasty’s military strength has always been roughly equal to ours... Take us, for example. This campaign was launched to catch the Ruen Dynasty off guard. It’s said we mobilized a million troops, but in reality, we have fewer than seven hundred fifty thousand.

"The rest are needed to guard our homeland and defend against the Oirat in the east. As for the Ruen Dynasty, they’ve stationed one hundred thousand imperial guards at Tianjin that they won’t move.

"In the east, they face the islands of Fusang across the sea, and they’ve stationed another hundred thousand troops there due to the constant threat of pirates there. And their northeastern border with Oirat, as small as it is, must still be defended with another one hundred thousand troops.

"So even if the so-called full force of the Ruen Dynasty can be mobilized against us, how many troops can actually be deployed? Forty thousand? Fifty thousand?"

Yelü Jiejia opened his mouth to speak, but Keo Gu’en waved him off, continuing, "A few days ago, we received reports confirming our earlier assumptions. The Run Dynasty expected us to hold the three passes.

"To surround and wipe out our army, they even withdrew the garrison from Yanchi Pass. Unfortunately for them, they fell into a trap and left us with an opening. But this also shows that they’ve concentrated their forces. Right now... the route from the Yanchi Pass to Liangzhou is completely unguarded."

"How can you be so sure they won’t send troops to defend Liangzhou?" Yelü Jiejia finally said.

"I know because Qi Zongbi is a smart man. He understands that with our forces stationed there, there’s no way to reclaim the Yanchi Pass. He"—A cold smile appeared on the scholar's lips—"will likely choose to defend Jibei and Ningye to prevent us from expanding further. But he can’t know whether we’ll target Jibei or Ningye, leaving him only one option... to split his forces."

Yelü Jiejia fell silent, his gaze intense as he stared at Keo Gu’en.

Keo Gu’en looked up, meeting Yelü Jiejia’s gaze with a confident smile. "Qi Zongbi is indeed a smart man and fully deserves his position as External Prime Minister. Unfortunately... he is too ignorant about the ways of war."