Zongwu: Start as Jinyiwei, invincible and powerful!

"You're smart enough not to be overwhelmed by the noise down there."

Yelu Hong looked at his commander with a hint of admiration in his eyes and said, "The Beiwei Army went to great lengths to appear before the two armies just to warn us not to act rashly."

"I also heard that the young emperor of the Great Zhou personally bestowed upon him a golden medal with the words 'Act at Your Own Ease' written on it. Everything on the front lines must obey the orders of that Lin Fan."

Yelu Xiong picked up the wine glass and drank it down in one gulp. He said unconvincedly, "So what? He is in the territory of Liao. How can he rebel?"

"Then let me ask you, if we really were to fight against the Beiwei Army, what do you think our chances of winning are?" Yelu Hong asked.

"If we had the same number of troops, our chances of winning would be less than 30%. But you also know that if one elite soldier dies, one less will be lost. If I attack with three times the number of troops, I think they will be unable to resist!"

Yelu Xiong drank another glass of strong liquor, his eyes filled with fighting spirit, and said sternly: "In my opinion, this matter is not that simple. Right now, Beimang is our common enemy. Perhaps today's Beimang will be tomorrow's Liao Kingdom!"

"Why don't we plan early and try to open up a better future for ourselves."

Yelu Hong smiled and handed a pot of new wine to the other party, and asked with a chuckle: "So what are your plans?"

Yelu Xiong did not say anything after this. He made a gesture of wiping his neck and stared at the real helmsman of the Liao Kingdom in front of him.

Yelu Hong sighed lightly and stood up, walked to the center of the tent, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the shining seal on the table.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "Don't be fooled by the high branches and the noise, you should also look back and see the mantis."

"Those princes in the Southern Prime Minister's Mansion have been getting a bit agitated lately. Go back and help me keep an eye on the food supply. I'm afraid they'll become desperate and do something crazy."

Yelu Xiong panicked upon hearing this, his hand holding the wine glass trembling noticeably. He said in confusion, "It's normal for the Southern Court to be so upset. The Northern and Southern Courts have always been checking and balancing each other. That's how they make their living. Now the two armies are facing each other..."

He had barely finished speaking when he looked up and saw Yelu Hong, whose expression was icy cold. He quickly knelt and said helplessly, "Even if you want to demote me, at least tell me where I went wrong."

When Yelu Hong went to the Great Zhou, he seemed to be just an ordinary envoy, but in fact he was the new ruler of the Liao Kingdom after it was conquered by the Northern Mang and Northern Yuan.

"Those brave generals under your command have been coming to me to ask for battle these days. One reason is that they saw the reinforcements from the Great Zhou had arrived, and they were itching to get the heads of those Northern Mang people on the other side of the river as military merit."

"Also, they're wary of the Beiwei Army. More than a dozen people have told me that collaborating with the Northern Song and Great Zhou is like courting disaster. Some even came up to me and said that before the Northern Mang falls, the Liao Kingdom will surely perish first."

Yelu Hong's face was bleak, and there seemed to be unspeakable fatigue in the depths of his eyes. As he spoke, he helped Yelu Xiong up.

"No matter how much those servants say, I don't take it to heart. As you said, a brave general only needs to kill the enemy, but you shouldn't say that."

Yelu Xiong resisted the urge to interrupt several times. His greatest strength was that he knew very well that his brain was not enough.

He couldn't outsmart those civil officials in planning, nor could he out-talk those Confucian scholars, but compared to those stubborn civil officials and Confucian scholars, he was much more flexible in thinking and did not stick to his own ideas or get stuck in a rut.

This is also the most important reason why he is valued by Yelu Hong.

Yelu Hong personally filled a glass of strong liquor for Yelu Xiong and said slowly, "Right now, our Liao Kingdom is like a leaky boat on a stormy river. If we're not careful, the boat will capsize and everyone will die!"

"The Northern Song Dynasty is indeed weak, but it is still a vassal of the Great Zhou Dynasty after all!"

"We have long been locked in the vast grasslands. The Northern Song Dynasty is the northern gate of the Great Zhou Dynasty to defend against foreign enemies, and we are like a fierce dog pushed out to fight with the Northern Mang and Northern Yuan!"

Hearing this, Yelu Xiong could no longer hold back and interrupted, "The Great Zhou has a vast army, and the warriors of our Liao Kingdom are no pushovers. I don't believe the Great Zhou army can continue to march thousands of miles!"

Just as he said, this time facing the Northern Mang army's invasion, the Great Zhou spent money and food to send troops and generals, although there was also the Northern Song Dynasty to provide financial support from behind.

But as time goes on, the Northern Song Dynasty will inevitably develop a rift with the Great Zhou Dynasty, and that will be an opportunity for the Liao Kingdom to move south and annex the Northern Song Dynasty.

"The future is unpredictable. Perhaps one day we will be able to divide the Northern Song Dynasty with the Great Zhou. The Eastern Sui Dynasty is an example."

Yelu Xiong drank the liquor in the glass with a smile and did not listen to what Yelu Hong said.

But Yelu Hong's expression became even more gloomy, and he sighed helplessly, "What you said is exactly the crux of the matter."

To make the other party understand, Yelu Hong used another metaphor: "No matter how the Northern Song Dynasty struggles, it is like a sheep eating grass. It will only bite you when it is extremely angry. But when the Liao Kingdom is hungry, it is a fierce dog. When it is full and satisfied, it is a jackal!"

"Even you understand this principle. How can the cunning Lin Fan and the Great Zhou Dynasty not understand it?"

"The consequence of feeding a sheep is nothing more than the extinction of the grass. What about the consequence of feeding a wolf?"

It was not until things got to this point that Yelu Xiong fully understood the essence of the matter.

The Great Zhou was not afraid of a powerful vassal, but would be concerned about a strong Liao.

Even though the Liao Kingdom is in decline now, it still has the ambition to devour others!

Yelu Hong's expression became even more sorrowful, and at this moment he felt a great sorrow in his heart.

He was in a dilemma, not knowing what to do, like a trapped beast.

"Our Liao Dynasty began with our ancestor Yelü Abaoji, and flourished under the reforms of Emperor Shengzong and Empress Dowager Xiao. We once had the glory of galloping across rivers and streams for thousands of miles, with countless weapons and armor, and the audacity to conquer other kingdoms."

"It has been eight generations since our time. With the Northern Mang army pressing in from the front and powerful enemies behind, the Liao Kingdom has fallen into a situation surrounded by powerful enemies. Tell me...how did the Liao Kingdom fall to this point today?"

Yelu Xiong seemed to be inspired, and two lines of tears flowed down his face.

He stood up and knelt down to pay homage to Yelu Hongxing, then quietly left the tent, packed his bags, and completely left the Sanggan River front.

Lin Fan immediately received the news from the Liao Kingdom that the former commander-in-chief of the Liao Kingdom, Yelu Xiong, was demoted three levels and was transferred to the rear to oversee the transportation of military supplies.

He casually dropped the military report, smiled, and then said with some emotion, "Yelü Hong is a man of great talent. His ability to know when to advance and when to retreat is truly commendable. He has saved me a lot of trouble."

At this time, many Song and Zhou generals and officials gathered in the tent. Among them, the person sitting on Lin Fan’s left was Yue Fei, who was in the limelight these days.

"I have heard of Yelu Xiong. He fought against the Northern Mang for many years and is a fierce and capable commander."

"No matter how good he is at fighting, his real flaw is that he's not smart enough. He's far worse than you." Lin Fan smiled and shook his head.

Wang Shao sat at the head of the right seat, smiled, raised his wine glass, and said respectfully: "Look at Yelu Hong, it's the same. His literary and military skills are far inferior to Lord Lin's!"

Lin Fan waved at him. He had heard too many respectful words. He said seriously, "Enough of the idle chatter. It's time for us to proceed to the next deployment."