Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 529 - 272: The Opportunity to Recover Yan Cloud_3

Chapter 529: Chapter 272: The Opportunity to Recover Yan Cloud_3

Between two detriments, choose the lesser, can we not only choose General Han Fuyue?

Taking a step back, let’s consider the worst-case scenario, where both individuals aspire to usurp the throne.

In that case, if General Han Fuyue usurps the throne, I might still be able to save my life, but if Qin Huizhi usurps it, my death is certain.

No matter how you look at it, General Han Fuyue is far more reliable than Qin Huizhi. free\we\bnov(e)(l).com

Moreover, if General Han Fuyue does actually come to support the current dynasty, with both powers contending, Qin Huizhi’s power is bound to waver, and perhaps I, the emperor, could find a lifeline in the process.

All in all, this was already the last resort for Emperor Yingzong of Qi, who did not wish to sit idly by and await his fate.

Chen Yuanshan hurried off.

Three days later, Qin Huizhi publicly announced that Emperor Yingzong of Qi was unwell and unable to handle state affairs, so he was resting quietly in the palace.

All major court affairs were decided by Qin Huizhi alone.

...

Beneath the city of Yanjing.

The continuous fierce battles piled up corpses under the walls of Yanjing, a truly ghastly sight.

However, Zhao Haiping, instead of discussing specific strategies for besieging the city with General Deng Yuanjing, talked about the city’s history.

After all, the plan for siege had been established, and all necessary preparations were made. Whether or not the city of Yanjing could be conquered now depended entirely on willpower and true strength.

Countless soldiers bravely climbed the siege ladders to the city walls, while behind them, catapults continued to hurl boulders at the city, and battering rams, escorted by shield-bearing troops, advanced towards the city gates.

Zhao Haiping said with a sigh, "Every time I read the history of the Qi Dynasty, Yan Yun is an insurmountable issue. fre\e(w)ebn ov.e l\. co.m

"The complex defense line formed by the Sixteen States of Yan Yun serves as the barrier for the entire northern frontier. Once Yan Yun falls, the Barbarians’ cavalry can drive straight in without any terrain to disrupt them.

"The saying ’to guard the Yangtze, one must guard the Huai River’ bears this out because the dense network of waterways between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers can effectively hinder the Barbarians’ cavalry. The same is true for Yan Yun.

"From the founding of the Qi Dynasty, it never had Yan Yun, and its subsequent military campaigns were all failures. When people discuss the repeated defeats of the Qi Dynasty, they often say it is because Yan Yun was not in Qi’s hands.

"Yet, did the Liang Dynasty or the Great Sheng Dynasty have Yan Yun from their inception? Isn’t every inch of territory fought for with blood and sweat?

"Only Qi Dynasty seemed to bear the signs of decline right from the start of its founding.

"General Deng, in your opinion, do you think the Qi Dynasty ever had a chance to reclaim Yan Yun?"

After quelling bandits, General Deng Yuanjing spent the latter half of his life on the northern frontiers defending against the Northern Barbarians, naturally knowing the terrain like the back of his hand.

Furthermore, General Deng Yuanjing was also an outstanding strategist, fond of reading military texts and history, which naturally granted him unique insights in this domain.

After a brief moment of thought, he said, "There were naturally opportunities, more than just one.

"The first opportunity arose during the era of Emperor Taizong of the Post Zhou dynasty, who personally led his troops in battle. The army was unstoppable until it reached the walls of Youzhou State City. However, a decisive battle was imminent, when Emperor Taizong fell ill, resulting in a failed campaign.

"The second opportunity was right at the establishment of the Qi Dynasty when Emperor Taizu could have chosen not to settle scores with the southern states first but to march north to seize Yan Yun. At the time, the Liao Country was in disarray under a foolish ruler. Nevertheless, Qi Taizu still deemed Liao’s power formidable and not to be challenged directly, setting the strategy of ’south first, then north; the easy first, the difficult later.’

"It was this very strategy that made Qi Taizu miss the golden opportunity to reclaim Yan Yun. By the time Qi had subjugated the minor southern states, a regicide had occurred in Liao Country, and a new emperor established order.

"In truth, had Qi taken the opportunity to swiftly reclaim Yan Yun and then turned to defeat the minor southern states, wouldn’t they have been swiftly eliminated?

"Recall that Emperor Taizong of the Great Sheng Dynasty, although he followed the strategy of ’build high walls, store abundant provisions, and claim kingship slowly,’ he never shied away from a tough fight when necessary. Despite the Great Sheng Dynasty being newly established, its campaigns against the Northern Barbarians were resolute, leading to the distinguished civil and military achievements of its founding.

"If our Emperor Taizong had also thought it best to ’attend to the south before the north, the easy before the difficult,’ we might have lost the strategic opportunity and found reclaiming the north increasingly difficult."

General Deng Yuanjing paused slightly before continuing, "The third opportunity came during the northern campaign of Emperor Taizong of Qi.

"By then, Liao had ended its internal strife and was swiftly regaining strength. However, Emperor Taizong of Qi was not adept at military command, and after a protracted siege, he suffered a disastrous defeat in open battle, utterly revealing his weaknesses.

"The fourth opportunity was the Jin-Liao conflict.

"Originally, as Jin people attacked Liao in the north, Qi could have sent its troops to take Yan Yun. At that time, the elite Qi Army faced nothing but the remnants of the defeated Liao forces.

"Yet, due to the lack of military discipline within the Qi troops, they indulged in extensive looting and plundering after taking Yanjing, uniting the city’s soldiers and civilians against them, which led to their expulsion. Afterwards, once Liao’s reinforcements arrived, Qi was defeated once again.

"Following this, Jin saw the true colors of Qi, which led to the Jingping change. f.(r)eewe/bnov\ll.com

"From this perspective, the Qi Dynasty missed out on four opportunities to reclaim Yan Yun. At the root of it, it was a human problem.

"Both Emperor Taizu and Taizong lacked strategic capacity, failing to seize the best opportunities; their ability to command in military matters was subpar, losing the tough battles; and their governance and civil management were inadequate too. As the nation enjoyed a century of peace, they did not think to prepare their military, but instead let their military readiness erode. Thus, they failed to grasp even a single opportunity."