You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 96 What are the chances of winning?
After paying respects to their ancestors and completing the wedding ceremony, Chen Shao set off with his new wife.

Given his status, it's not good for him to be away from home for extended periods.

He planned to leave from Yan'an Prefecture, go to Yinzhou first, and take Huanhuan back to the pavilion along the way.

After arriving at the Zhong residence, Zhong Shizhong had already left for Yongle City.

Zhong Shidao was still there; the feast was laid out and everything was ready. Chen Shao came in, presented his gifts, and then bowed again.

Then Zhong Shidao hosted a banquet in the attic hall to entertain Chen Shao and Zhong Lingxi.

Strictly speaking, Zhong Lingxi was already a guest, a member of the Chen family.

Zhe pulled Zhong Lingxi aside to talk, and would occasionally glance over at Chen Shao.

Zhong Shidao smiled and said, "My little sister is young. If she does anything wrong, Mingyuan, please be lenient with her. No matter what happens, we can discuss it as a family."

Chen Shao smiled and responded with a few words, then changed the subject and asked, "After Commander Xuan withdrew his troops, did he give any instructions to Yinzhou?"

He was, after all, a young man, and didn't have the patience to get bogged down in trivial family matters with Zhong Shidao.

Zhong Shidao did not answer him, but remained silent for a long time. He picked up his teacup but did not drink it, and put it down after a while. "Mingyuan, are you being a little too hasty? Actually, you can try to improve your relationship with Commander Xuan."

"He's not the kind of person who can't adapt to changing circumstances."

Chen Shao chuckled. Of course, he understood what Zhong Shidao meant. If he wanted to be like the Zhe family, he could occupy a piece of land in the Northwest and establish a separatist regime.

Then one must establish a vested interest with people like Tong Guan, because they can influence the emperor's decisions.

Being able to speak to the emperor is a tremendous political power, one that sometimes cannot be bought with any amount of money.

However, Chen Shao didn't value any of this.

Because he knew, and only he knew, that these so-called rules were about to become worthless.

He was eager for quick success and wanted to seize the greatest benefits in the shortest amount of time.

In a few years, the North will be reshuffled, and the so-called imperial heart, the court, and the prime minister that Zhong Shidao and others valued so much will soon become worthless.

This matter seems unbelievable; even if I told Zhong Shidao, he wouldn't believe me.

Just a few years later, he will lead the last of the Western Army down that road of no return.

Historically, when the Jin army marched south and besieged Bianliang, Zhong Shidao led troops to defend the emperor. After the first siege of Bianliang was lifted, he firmly advocated launching an attack when the Jin army crossed the Yellow River. The opportunity was excellent, but the court strictly prohibited him from doing so.

The Jin army launched its second invasion southward, with Taiyuan as its first target. Zhong Shizhong led troops to provide support, and this time the court began urging him to send troops. However, the timing was poor; supplies were insufficient, and Yao Gu failed to arrive on time. Zhong Shizhong was forced to advance recklessly with his isolated army, and was defeated and killed at the Battle of Shaxiong Ridge. The main force of the Western Army was also lost in this battle.

Xiao Zhong's death was a huge blow to him, but an even bigger blow was yet to come.

When Kaifeng was besieged for the second time, Zhong Shidao proposed a plan to avoid the enemy forces in front and approach from the flank and rear of Huazhou to force the Jin army to split up. He also emphasized that they should not rashly engage in a decisive battle with the main force of the Jin army.

At that time, the pro-peace faction within the court had the upper hand. Not only did they not adopt his advice, they also stripped him of his military power.

After the outer city of Kaifeng was breached, Zhong Shidao advised the emperor to move to the strategically important Jingzhao Prefecture to avoid the Jin army's advance and plan for another battle.

However, Emperor Qinzong of Song chose to seek peace with the Jin army, and Zhong Shidao died in endless sorrow and resentment.

In the eyes of Zhong Shidao and others, Chen Shao's current behavior is somewhat short-sighted.

He seems to only care about immediate gains and completely disregards long-term plans. Admittedly, the court is currently focusing all its energy on preparing for war against Youyan and allying with the Jin to attack Liao, and cannot attend to the northwest for the time being.

What can happen later?

Isn't he afraid that the imperial court will come after him after successfully conquering Liao?
Tong Guan served as the pacification chief of the Northwest for nearly twenty years, and Zhong Shidao knew him very well.

Given Tong Guan's character, he would definitely settle scores with Chen Shao after the successful conquest of Liao.

By then, he would have gained immense prestige, making it incredibly easy for him to deal with Chen Shao, who only controlled four prefectures.

Looking at Chen Shao, who was completely unresponsive, Zhong Shidao felt somewhat helpless. His actions were becoming increasingly outrageous and quite different from what he had expected.

Zhong Shidao couldn't help but feel worried. He feared that Chen Shao's ambition wasn't to become a warlord like the Zhe family of Fugu, but rather to become Li Yuanhao of Western Xia.
If that's the case, we might even end up fighting.

Suddenly, Chen Shao asked abruptly, "Brother-in-law, what do you think of Tong Guan's campaign against Liao?"

Zhong Shidao sighed. Tong Guan had already sent someone to recommend him as the military governor of Baojing Army, so that Zhong could lead troops to cover the generals who were attacking Liao.

He himself wrote to the emperor more than once, stating frankly that the campaign against Liao was not advisable.

"The Liao people are now weak; perhaps they can succeed."

Hearing Zhong Shidao's insincere words, Chen Shao chuckled and said, "What if the campaign against Liao fails?"

Zhong Shidao sighed deeply.

Tong Guan was determined to use Liu Yanqing and his Fuyan Army for this Northern Expedition, even though these troops were not very strong to begin with.

The long and arduous expedition filled everyone with resentment.

You, Tong Guan and Liu Yanqing, could have been generously rewarded, but instead you both took the opportunity to amass wealth.

Drawing salaries without working and exploiting soldiers
The two fell silent as they talked, each burdened with their own thoughts, speechless with worry.

At noon, after lunch, Zhong Shidao asked them to stay another day.

Chen Shao originally planned to leave immediately for Yinzhou, but he couldn't refuse the hospitality and had to stay.

As night fell, when the couple returned to Zhong Lingxi's original courtyard, all the maids and servants surrounded them, holding hands and sobbing, looking genuinely sad. Chen Shao curiously looked around her boudoir; the little girl loved reading, and even her room was filled with books.

Chen Shao flipped through it and found it uninteresting; he couldn't bear to read even a single page of a book without punctuation.

Suddenly, I spotted a beautifully packaged box. When I opened it, I found some manuscripts inside.

Chen Shao glanced at them curiously; they were poems. Although he wasn't an expert in this field, he could tell that they were of average quality.

After Zhong Lingxi came in, her face turned bright red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"what are you doing!"

She rushed over like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, almost knocking Chen Shao over.

Chen Shao laughed and held it up in his hand, waving it around. "So this is what you wrote."

Zhong Lingxi stood next to him, jumping up and down but still couldn't reach him. She was so anxious that her face turned red and she started gesticulating wildly.

Finally, seeing that she was really angry, Chen Shao returned it to her. Zhong Lingxi quickly put it away and pointed at Chen Shao, saying, "You naughty thing! Don't talk nonsense after you leave!"

Chen Shao, with a cheeky grin, recited a line from a poem he had just seen. The already flushed girl, both angry and anxious, hugged the box and plopped down on the bed, bursting into tears.

Chen Shao dared not tease her anymore. He quickly stepped forward, patted her shoulder, and said, "It's really well written. I only read it because I liked it. Why are you crying?"

"You're lying! I know you're a bad person. You peeked at my poems and poked me with that nasty big stick!"

Chen Shao: "."

After Chen Shao comforted her for a while, Zhong Lingxi cried herself to sleep, took off her clothes, and snuggled into his arms to fall asleep.

Girls often feel a sense of belonging to the man who takes their virginity.

Chen Shao got out of bed, took a few steps, and came to the side of the curtain. A breeze blew in from outside the window.

After the wind passed, a "rustling" sound suddenly came from outside, and the autumn rain arrived unexpectedly.

Chen Shao recalled his conversation with Lao Zhong during the day.

These veteran generals of the Western Army did not seem to approve of attacking Liao, but they believed that as long as the country suffered some economic losses, it would still be able to defeat the Liao army.

It was a losing proposition, and the Western Army was putting in a lot of effort for no reward.

The mighty Liao Dynasty was truly pathetic and utterly incompetent.

Everyone felt they could go up and kick him.

It is an undeniable fact that the Song Dynasty never truly defeated the Liao Dynasty from its founding.

They would soon have no chance.

Who would have thought that even though the Liao Dynasty was about to be destroyed, they could still beat up the Song Dynasty?

He couldn't help but sigh when he thought that Zhong Shidao actually had the courage to arrange a marriage alliance with him.

This might seem like making things difficult for himself and making the court more wary of him, but in reality, things won't get any worse.

Everyone believed that the imperial court would win this battle, recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and then easily sweep away the Western Xia.

A mysterious sense of self-confidence permeated the entire Song Dynasty.

After the success, the first to suffer will inevitably be the Western Army.

The scholar-officials of the court had long disliked these military men, and the national policy of the Song Dynasty was to emphasize civil affairs and suppress military affairs.

Previously, due to the threat from the Western Xia, they had no choice but to swallow their pride and allow these military families to exist.

The Song emperor would definitely do things like weaken the Western Army, break up the Western Army, and eliminate the military families.

The fact that Zhong Shidao married him actually added an unexpected variable to the already inevitable demise of the Western Army.

If he were to become a powerful warlord like the Zhe family, it would be equivalent to providing a way out for the descendants of the Zhong family.

If he were to become like the Western Xia, then the court would have to continue to rely heavily on the Western Army to oppose him.

Chen Shao saw further than the others because he had a god-like perspective; he knew the major trends to come.

When the time comes, I will tell Old Zhong about the unexpected benefits of this marriage alliance.

Time was running out for Tong Guan to prepare for the campaign against Liao, and equally, time was running out for himself to destroy Western Xia and expand his influence in the northwest.
As soon as Tong Guan begins his campaign against Liao, the situation will spiral out of control like a flash flood!

In the Battle of Baigou River, he suffered a crushing defeat in his first battle. The vanguard of the Song army underestimated the enemy and was ambushed and routed by the Liao generals Yelü Dashi and Xiao Gan at Baigou River in Hebei.

Zhong Shidao's suggestion to proceed cautiously and steadily was rejected.

In the second battle of Fancun, the Song army suffered a complete rout. The Liao army counterattacked with its remaining troops, causing the Song army's morale to collapse and resulting in a full-scale retreat with all its supplies lost.

Just one year!
This guy has exhausted the Song Dynasty's financial resources and its already limited elite Western Army.

The autumn rain fell like silk threads, swaying in the wind. Chen Shao exhaled a deep breath.

One formidable foe after another awaits me ahead.

(End of this chapter)