Hsu Fengnian shook his head and said, "If it was in the past, the Liyang imperial court still had control over the territory of the Central Plains. But now that the three kings have raised their armies, everything has become a variable. Beimang can certainly stake everything on this gamble."
Hsu Fengnian gently held a piece of white jade the size of an egg in his hand and slowly stroked it. This piece of white jade was slightly red, its texture was delicate, and it looked clumsy and simple. Hsu Fengnian could not bear to put it down. In fact, the item itself was not that rare. Compared to the fine jade that was carved into fine shapes, its price was as different as heaven and earth. However, the origin of this item was very interesting. Jiang Ni, Xu Ying, and Jia Jiajia had secretly carried a heavy cloth bag back to North Jiebei City not long ago. Everyone's clothes were stained with dust and mud. They swaggered into this study room as if they were asking for credit. They opened the cloth bag and poured it onto the floor. Most of the items were ordinary pebbles that were playful and pleasing, mixed with some green jade that could barely be sold for a few copper coins. However, the three of them had really picked up a treasure. It was this piece of white jade that Hsu Fengnian had left on the desk to play with. Hsu Fengnian was very cunning. He squatted down and pretended to wantonly belittle the stone, saying that this was not worth a single copper coin and that the stone was just a cobblestone that would not even look good on the road. In the end, he sighed and picked up the piece of white jade with a beautiful color. He casually tossed it around and then took out five or six copper coins from his money bag and threw it to the little mud man covered in dust, saying that this was a friendly price. Although the little mud man was doubtful and felt that he had suffered a loss, he was still a fledgling in the field of business after all. He was shamelessly picked up by the young king. Logically speaking, such a fine piece of white jade should be worth at least twenty taels of silver if it was passed to a scholarly family in Gangnam-do. If it was carved by a famous jade craftsman, it would be even more difficult to say how much it would be worth. When the three girls finally left the study room, the new money pouch on Jiang Ni's waist, which had been shriveled since they arrived at North Rejecting City, finally had some vitality. Jia Jiajia carried the heavy cloth pouch that had been filled with stones again and planned to make a small nest in the courtyard to play. Xu Ying, on the other hand, was holding the copper coin that Jiang Ni gave her. Everyone was happy.
Yang Shenxing hesitated for a moment before finally lowering her voice to ask, "Dare I ask why Wang Ye is so determined to win the battle of Liu Zhou? So much so that he didn't hesitate to mobilize the troops of the Qingyuan Army to leave Liangzhou? "
Hsu Fengnian suddenly tightened his grip on the piece of seed material in the palm of his hand, which was gradually heating up. He stared at this Deputy Jiedushi of Beiliang Road, who had a new lease of life after withered wood. Suddenly he joked, "Why don't you take a guess?"
Yang Shenxing was caught off guard and did not know how to answer. After truly assimilating into Beiliang's officialdom, this veteran general also knew some interesting news about Beiliang that had not spread to the Central Plains and the capital. For example, the old Prince of Liang, Xu Xiao, liked to say, "Why don't you take a guess?" It was one of his catchphrases.
Seeing the old man unable to hide his restraint and helplessness, Hsu Fengnian smiled and went straight to the point. "There are many inside stories involved. For example, the Crown Prince of Beimang once sent a message to me. Before Yelu Dongchuang left the Central Plains for the grasslands, he had a private meeting with me. There is also a long term plan related to Hong Jia's escape to the north. It even involves the Commander-in-Chief of Beimang's western front, Wang Sui, and that Gu Dazhuguo who is in charge of the two Liao Provinces. If I really want to go into detail, I'm afraid I'll have to talk all night. I believe that General Yang is certain of one thing. On the battlefield outside Liangzhou Pass to the north of North Rejecting City, with the military strength of Liang Mang and the Beiliang cavalry, it is impossible for our Beiliang cavalry to obtain a complete victory in a frontal battle. At most, it will be a pyrrhic victory.
Yang Shenxing nodded without hesitation.
Hsu Fengnian gently placed the white jade document on the desk like a chess piece on a chessboard. "When my master was alive, he always tirelessly told me that the depth of a national player's skill is always outside the chessboard. When I was young, I thought that my master always lost to my second sister in chess because he was looking for an excuse for his lack of strength. But as time passed, I realized that everything in the world is like chess, where victory and defeat must be determined. This is the truth. "
Hsu Fengnian slowly stood up and stretched out his finger to press on the seed material. "When Xu Xiao was in the most difficult situation in Liyang in his early years, because he fought many tough battles that others were unwilling to fight, he didn't have many soldiers and horses under his command. Why were the big shots in Liyang still willing to bet on Xu Xiao? It's very simple. Xu Xiao was always able to win a battle when almost everyone was not optimistic about him. This attracted the attention of the imperial court and made the old foxes who held the military seal in their hands feel that it was worth a bet. The inside stories I mentioned earlier, those national players hiding behind layers of curtains, were actually very fake. Both Beiliang and Beiliang are well aware that they won't act until they see the rabbit. There's no other way. Beiliang can only take an unconventional approach and make those people standing in front of the gambling table feel that it's time to sit down and gamble big. Otherwise, if they're too slow, they'll only be able to get some leftovers to fill the gaps between their teeth. "
Hsu Fengnian smiled. "None of these guys have small appetites, so I have to let them see my sincerity. For example …"
Yang Shenxing subconsciously asked, "For example?"
Hsu Fengnian said softly, "For example, when the Iron Cavalry outside Liangzhou Pass defended Beicheng without losing it, the Liuzhou Cavalry won a great victory at Old Woman Mountain. Then they went all the way north and took Beimang's southern capital, Xijing."
Yang Shenxing was a grandmaster in both the imperial court and the battlefield, so he understood it immediately.
However, this veteran who had experienced the war of spring and autumn did not feel relaxed at all. Instead, his heart became heavier.
The young lord only said that he was going to defend Beicheng, then what about the north of Beicheng?
Huaiyang Pass, Liuya, Fuling, and Grave, three major military towns.
Chu Lushan, Zhou Kang, Li Yanchao, and Lu Dayuan, four generals.
— — —
No one knew when, except for the two people who were standing at the table next to each other, the rest of the people had left the study room.
After Yang Shenxing also walked out of the study room, the young lord held the seed material and walked to the window. He looked up at the loquat tree. Although it was mid-autumn, the green was still lush.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter, leaves can grow green. Birth, old age, illness, and death, people can't live forever.
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