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A young eunuch, dressed in a Light Blue Robe and appearing to be around twenty years old, was standing beside the Qin Emperor, likely attending to his daily needs.
He held a grayish-yellow memorial that had come from Taiyuan.
The Qin Emperor, wearing a Golden Dragon Robe, leaned back in his chair and said, "Pass that memorial to Qin Aiqing. He is the last to arrive; these Ministers have already seen it. Let him take a look before making a decision."
The eunuch bowed and then walked down, holding the grayish-yellow memorial with some hesitation.
Qin Feng and Li Gang were on the left side, while the four Chancellors of the court were on the right. To deliver the memorial, he had to pass in front of them first.
The eunuch in the Light Blue Robe walked awkwardly in front of them when Bai Shizhong stepped forward, blocking his path, causing him some concern.
The eunuch's face was already pale, but now it turned even whiter as he hurriedly tried to go around.
Li Bangyan unexpectedly jumped out again, blocking the way ahead on purpose, preventing him from passing and teasing Qin Feng by obstructing his view of the content.
Geng Nanzhong and Tang Ke were also eager to join in; they were seasoned schemers who had done this many times without regard for Qin Feng's position.
The eunuch appeared somewhat at a loss; these Chancellors were too audacious to dare block his way.
Qin Feng looked on angrily, surprised that these Chancellors would act so shamelessly as to obstruct the eunuch's path—this was the Emperor's command.
The Qin Emperor also noticed this; these Chancellors were truly cunning. They dared to play tricks on someone carrying out his orders before letting him go.
He said, "Gentlemen Chancellors, perhaps your eyesight has failed you! Can't you see the road? Jumping around like this—what is your intention?"
Bai Shizhong and Li Bangyan, leading the four Chancellors, retreated, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Qin Feng successfully obtained the memorial and opened it to find that this was the real intelligence, recorded in great detail.
The Qin Emperor looked at the several Chancellors below. Although they all had some abilities, they were also somewhat domineering.
It was all the fault of his father, who during his reign ignored state affairs. Many incompetent High Officials held power, and even those who were not incompetent were overbearing, casually bullying their colleagues in the court.
He said, "Your Excellencies, have you thought of any solutions? Should we send troops for rescue or not?"
Bai Shizhong, dressed in a purple robe, immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and performed the ceremonial bow of a minister.
He said, "In my opinion as a Minister, I believe we do not need to send troops to rescue Taiyuan City. The city walls are extremely high and thick, which can definitely hold back Jin Bing. Over time, those hundreds of thousands of troops will retreat."
"The defending general Wang Bin is a renowned general, and his tens of thousands of soldiers are all brave fighters who will definitely hold their ground and wear down Jin Bing."
Bai Shizhong smiled as he spoke, showing no concern at all, which seemed somewhat unusual.
The Qin Emperor furrowed his brows tightly, his expression somewhat grim, clearly disapproving.
At this moment, Li Bangyan stepped forward with a smile on his face.
"Your Majesty, I feel we should still send troops to rescue Taiyuan. Although Taiyuan is very strong, it has already been surrounded by Jin Kingdom with several times their forces; it will be difficult to hold out for long."
"I propose to mobilize troops from the surrounding provinces to rescue Taiyuan and relieve its urgent situation. A combined internal and external assault will surely deal a heavy blow to Jin Bing and stop them there."
The Qin Emperor was somewhat surprised; Li Bangyan was a representative of the Peace Faction and it was rare for him to insist on fighting.
This was also in line with his own thoughts; troops must be sent to block them; otherwise, it would lead to serious trouble.
"Li Aiqing is right. You continue, and I will see if your plan is feasible."
Bai Shizhong was also surprised. Wasn't Li Bangyan on good terms with him? Advising the emperor to negotiate for peace and not to go to war would affect the Negotiation.
Could it be that he wanted to take credit for himself while pushing others aside? Truly an old fox.
Tang Ke and Geng Nanzhong felt similarly, waiting for an opportunity. After all, they were all part of the Peace Faction, and whichever side they stood on would benefit.
Qin Feng and Li Gang exchanged glances, sensing something was off. Bai Shizhong and Li Bangyan were notorious for being cowardly and afraid of angering the Jurchens; how could they even think of resisting them?
Seeing the emperor agree, Li Bangyan smiled even more happily.
"This time, the Jin Kingdom is coming in full force, having dispatched over a hundred thousand troops, almost occupying half of the country's military strength. They will definitely not retreat easily, so we must fight back and make them taste defeat."
"The best place to do this is in Taiyuan. The city walls there are very strong, second only to Tokyo City. A pincer attack will frustrate them from both sides, and they will surely agree to negotiate."
"When they can’t advance any further, we just need to propose good conditions—more Silver as compensation and some land—and we can send them back. Wouldn’t that be a great deal?"
Bai Shizhong and the others understood; the main goal was still negotiation. They just needed to send a large army to block the Jurchens and seize the opportunity for Negotiation. In the end, it would still be the Peace Faction in control.
The War Faction was merely temporarily brave; their glory would soon fade.
Everyone agreed: "The ministers all support Li Chancellor's idea to mobilize troops from nearby provinces for reinforcement to block the Jin Bing, and then negotiate. It will definitely succeed."
After hearing this, Qin Emperor was very pleased; it felt like a weight had been lifted from his heart. He laughed heartily, finally understanding his own mindset.
In dealing with the arrogant Jin Kingdom, one cannot simply seek peace nor can one solely resist them; it feels like Song Soldiers cannot defeat them.
This method of combining soft and hard tactics is very good, and I greatly admire Li Bangyan's approach, continuously praising it.
After listening, Li Gang felt that these Peace Faction members were dreaming. They thought they could just gather some troops from nearby to stop the hundreds of thousands of soldiers; wasn't that just a fantasy?
Aside from the tens of thousands of elite troops from Wang Bin in Taiyuan, which could fight to the death against Jin Bing, the forces from places like Jinzhou and Fen Prefecture were merely mediocre soldiers who rarely trained and lacked discipline, making them easy to defeat.
He said loudly, "What Li Chancellor said is nothing but his fantasies! The troops near Taiyuan are poorly trained and cannot stop so many Jin Bing. They will only allow them to continue their advance southward."
"Taiyuan must be reinforced. The troops from those provincial capitals can go there to buy some time, but we need to gather elite forces from farther away to block the Jin people to truly relieve the crisis of the Great Song."
"The Minister's suggestion is to immediately send the Eight Hundred Fast Riders to notify the nearby troops, instructing them to encircle Jin Bing. The stronger troops can engage in a decisive battle with Jin Bing, while the weaker ones should focus on encirclement."
After hearing this, Qin Feng felt that Li Gang's words were truly insightful, like those of a strategic military leader.
He also agreed with his viewpoint and suggested that the emperor follow his advice.
However, the smile on Qin Emperor's face immediately faded. Why couldn't Li Gang just let him enjoy a moment of happiness instead of always speaking the truth?
Perhaps the troops from Jinzhou and Fen Prefecture were inadequate, but there were still many provincial capitals and troops in the surrounding areas that could surely stop Jin Bing. He was still reasoning on a grand scale.
If he followed his plan and sent most of the nearby troops away, wouldn't that leave Tokyo City vulnerable? Wouldn't it become even more dangerous?
If over a hundred thousand Jin Bing defeated those encircling troops and advanced southward, Tokyo City would be in jeopardy, and his own fate would be dire.
He said, "Li Gang Your Excellency, you are overthinking this. There is no need for so many troops to encircle Jin Bing. Just sending the forces from Surroundings will suffice; those troops should continue to come and protect the capital!"
"General Wang Bin is certainly very capable; otherwise, he wouldn't be sent to guard the most dangerous place in Taiyuan. He can definitely hold back the Jin Kingdom, giving us hope for a Negotiation."
Li Gang understood that the Emperor indeed followed the wishes of the Peace Faction, first fighting a few battles before negotiating with the Jurchens.
However, that approach was not feasible; it would be impossible to stop over a hundred thousand Jin troops with those mediocre soldiers, who would not hold out for long.
He said, "Your Majesty, Li Chancellor is overthinking this. The situation is not that simple. He is merely talking strategy without understanding the true strength of the Jin troops. We must mobilize troops from various places to encircle them!"
The Qin Emperor was truly tired of hearing his words. He himself desired peace; battles should be fought when necessary, and negotiations should occur when appropriate. He did not want to completely offend the Jin Kingdom while at war.
He originally did not want to smile but forced a smile to appear amiable.
"Li Gang, Your Excellency, you are overthinking it. I believe Li Chancellor's words have merit; we should fight when necessary and negotiate when appropriate. You need not worry any further. I am truly exhausted and have already heard the battle reports from the north."
"Following Li Chancellor's advice, I will immediately send someone on horseback to notify the surrounding provincial governments, ordering them to quickly dispatch reinforcements. Those who disobey will face severe punishment. You all may leave now; I need to rest properly."
He then turned and walked in one direction, presumably toward his palace.
Li Bangyan and the others behind him flattered him, proclaiming that the Emperor was indeed a wise ruler, the most enlightened emperor of the Great Song.
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