The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

After conquering a city, his troops were allowed to plunder!

This is to return everything that the Jurchens had attached to the Song Dynasty!

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin's choice, no one thought he was extreme; on the contrary, they all felt extremely pleased.

Leave the act of repaying evil with kindness to fools.

An emperor must be ruthless, repaying kindness with kindness and blood, and seeking justice for all wrongs!

But it's not enough for outsiders to understand!

The problem now is that all the people of the Northern Song Dynasty still need to believe in the heavens.

I believe that Zhao Kuangyin was truly capable of defeating the Jin people, rather than engaging in a treacherous scheme like Zhao Ji and Zhao Huan!

Last time, the people firmly believed that Zhao Ji could destroy the Liao and reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, thus enabling the people of the Central Plains to truly stand up!

But the result?

The Liao Dynasty was indeed destroyed, but it was the Jin Dynasty that destroyed it!

The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun were transferred from the Liao Dynasty to the Jin Dynasty!

On the contrary, the war to destroy the Liao Dynasty made the Jin people see through the Song Dynasty's weakness, causing the Song Dynasty's status to decline day by day!

Although Zhao Kuangyin has changed his style, the only people he can truly trust in the short term are those who have received slaves in Bianjing.

But Bianjing had just been plundered by the imperial court and the Jurchens. How many people could be left? And how many soldiers could be recruited?

By gathering the remaining soldiers and recruiting at any cost, they barely managed to muster 100,000 troops.

This number of troops was far from meeting Zhao Kuangyin's expectations.

The expedition was different from the defensive battle of Bianjing.

The troops left behind, along with the supplies transported along the way, all require manpower.

With a mere 100,000 troops, 50,000 were left to guard Bianjing, and at least 10,000 were sent to transport grain and fodder. What could the remaining 40,000 troops possibly do?

This was an expedition against the Jin Dynasty. In Zhao Kuangyin's mind, the next battle would at least reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!

To achieve this goal, the number of troops must be no less than 200,000!

The supply of provisions for 200,000 troops would require at least 40,000 men to escort.

The difference is too great!

"Prime Minister Li, is it that I haven't done enough?"

Zhao Kuangyin was somewhat helpless.

Although the situation has stabilized for now, the people's hearts have been lost, and it will be very difficult to win them back.

Even though they won a great victory outside Bianjing, it was still too late to turn the tide.

This only proves that one big win is not enough!

"If Your Majesty trusts me, you may entrust me with the training of 40,000 troops. I will certainly not disappoint Your Majesty!"

Since the quantity was insufficient, the only solution Yue Fei could think of was to make up for it with quality!

Just like he was back then.

Try every possible means to fight cavalry with infantry and win with fewer troops!

"I can't trust you any more, General Yue. You haven't participated in the wars outside the Great Wall, so you don't understand."

Once they realized they were at a disadvantage, the Jurchens would break up into smaller groups and primarily use cavalry to harass the enemy.

They will only confront you directly after harassing you until you are exhausted.

Beyond the pass lies an endless expanse of plains, making it impossible to cut off their path!

The best approach would be to launch a massive attack, ignoring the cavalry raids, and directly besiege the city, forcing the Jurchen cavalry to dismount and defend it!

However, 40,000 troops were clearly not enough to make the Jurchens feel such a threat.

If five times the enemy's strength, attack them; if ten times their strength, surround them.

If we cannot gain a numerical advantage, it is better not to fight this battle!

The Song Dynasty at this moment cannot withstand any defeat!

"Your Majesty, why not wait a little longer?"

Li Gang, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

Wait?

Zhao Kuangyin frowned.

"What do you want me to wait for?"

"Although the troops of the various armies that came to the aid of the emperor must be stationed in their respective areas and cannot move without permission, they can still publicize the victory of His Majesty in this battle."

"Your Majesty, the people's hearts have not yet been won back, not necessarily because they are unwilling to believe you, but because not enough people have stood up to confirm this."

"Many people may think that this victory was fabricated by the imperial court and is fake."

It must be said that Li Gang is the one who understands the current situation of the Song Dynasty best.

In the past, whether it was Zhao Ji or Zhao Huan, they liked to boast about their great achievements even for the smallest things they did.

As a result, most ordinary people treated the news disseminated by the imperial court as casual conversation, laughing and joking, but they did not believe it.

Just like the current situation.

It wasn't that they didn't want to trust Zhao Kuangyin, but rather that they instinctively didn't want to trust the imperial court!

Zhao Kuangyin and Yue Fei joined forces and annihilated and captured more than 100,000 Jin soldiers in one battle.

What they need to wait for is for others to spread the word, and for the people to accept and believe it!

"How long?"

Zhao Kuangyin's brows relaxed considerably.

If all he lacks is time, he can wait.

At least Zhao Guangyi isn't here, so no one will harm him before his grand plan is finished!

"It will take at least half a year, or as little as three months, to gather the 200,000 troops His Majesty needs, and perhaps even more."

Li Gang made a solemn vow.

Beyond the sky, Li Er couldn't help but smile.

"Indeed, when you're in the thick of it, there are some things that outsiders can't see as clearly as you can."

"Zhao Kuangyin's defense of Bianjing was enough to overturn the Jin people's standing in the hearts of the people."

"As long as the idea that the Jurchens are invincible is broken, the people will naturally repay him."

"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The people are very kind. Whoever treats them well, whoever gives them a way to live, and whoever can help them stand tall, they will support them."

To all outsiders, Zhao Kuangyin was only a matter of time before he could complete this challenge.

When the time is right, recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun will be a piece of cake.

Once this achievement is accomplished, the challenge will be considered complete.

"However, given Zhao Heizi's personality, he probably won't end the challenge so easily."

"He might be up to some other tricks."

Judging from the fact that Zhao Kuangyin immediately killed Zhao Guangyi after learning that Zhao Guangyi would kill him.

Emperor Taizu of Song was definitely a vengeful person.

Having witnessed the rampant tyranny of the Jurchens at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, how could such a person be willing to let the Jurchens off easily!

"You mean, after the challenge is completed, we can continue?"

Li Er frowned and thought for a moment.

That seems to be the case.

When he participated in the challenge against Shu Han, even though he had already met the conditions for restoring the Han Dynasty, the immortal did not urge him to leave.

However, he was worried that Liu Shan would cause chaos in his Tang Dynasty, which is why he hastily ended the challenge.

Thinking about it carefully, perhaps after the challenge ends, I can still do something in this world.

It's just a matter of how long the immortal's abilities can last.

If this can continue indefinitely, wouldn't it be equivalent to living an extra life?

Thinking of this, Li Er suddenly became excited.

If that's true, that would be fantastic news!

"So you thought of that too?"

Old Zhu smiled and said.

"As for how long it can last, let's see Zhao Heizi give us a demonstration."

"I must say, the methods of immortals are truly mysterious and unpredictable, and we are indeed fortunate to witness them!"

Witness Zhao Kuangyin regain his strength for the Central Plains amidst challenges!

We'll also see how long this challenge can last!