Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 82 The Best Opportunity

Zhou An examined the map and discovered that it showed the entire territory of the north.

"Brother-in-law..."

Sheng Changbai turned to invite Zhou An to sit down, but seeing him staring at the map on the wall, he explained, "This is a map of the territory at the beginning of the founding of the nation!"

Maps were strictly controlled in ancient times, and private possession was strictly prohibited.

This map is from many years ago, and the northern border has changed somewhat, so it's not that important.

"Zecheng likes to study military affairs?" Zhou An asked in surprise.

He remembered that when Gu Tingye and Sheng Changbai first met, he saw the map of the territory that Sheng Changbai was holding.

He then took the initiative to talk to Sheng Changbai, and the two became friends as a result.

He originally thought that Sheng Changbai had just obtained it, which was why he cherished it so much.

But now we see that Sheng Changbai has hung a map of the territory in his study, which means he usually studies it in private.

"I really like it!"

Sheng Changbai nodded and looked at the map hanging on the wall, saying, "Because of the loss of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, there is no natural defense in the north. In order to defend against the Liao Kingdom, the imperial court has stationed a large number of troops in the north."

Every year, a great deal of manpower and resources are spent just to support the border troops.

This is assuming there is no war; if war breaks out, the losses will be even greater!

If we cannot recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, this situation will eventually drag the imperial court down!

"Ze Cheng hit the nail on the head!"

Zhou An praised, "Many people only see the benefits brought by trade between the two countries, but few know how staggering the annual expenses of the northern garrison are!"

During the reign of the late emperor, the Liao army marched south. After the Liao army was repelled, the two countries held peace talks.

The two countries opened border markets, and there have been almost no wars for decades.

Many intellectuals praised this approach, believing it to be correct.

Not fighting saved a lot of manpower and resources, while the trade between the two countries brought a lot of profits to the Great Zhou.

Because the two countries have a large trade deficit.

Almost all goods from the Great Zhou Dynasty were popular in the Liao Dynasty.

Conversely, the Great Zhou Dynasty did not have a high demand for Liao goods, only for cattle, sheep, warhorses, and leather.

However, they overlooked the fact that the imperial court had stationed a large number of troops on the border, and the money earned from the Liao Kingdom was far from enough to cover the expenses of supporting the border troops.

Of course, this cannot be considered wrong.

Unless we can recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun in one fell swoop and maintain a prolonged war, even if we capture a few cities, it will not be of much practical significance.

Although the majority of the inhabitants of those cities were Han Chinese, they had long since settled down under the long-term rule of the Liao Dynasty.

It will take time to stabilize the people's hearts after the Great Zhou is conquered, and rebuilding the defense system will also require a lot of manpower and resources.

If the defense is not in place, it will be impossible to hold out if a counterattack is launched.

Fighting back and forth only wastes national resources and has no practical significance.

However, while maintaining peace, we must strive internally to build up our strength and prepare for the future recapture of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

However, that's not actually the case; all that's done is that the warm breeze makes tourists drunk, mistaking Hangzhou for Bianzhou.

Except for a few, most people are complacent and enjoy this peace without any sense of crisis.

Forget about striving for strength; internal problems are only getting worse.

"I was just doing some random research."

Although Sheng Changbai is mature beyond his years, he is still young and felt somewhat embarrassed by the praise.

"Haha, this is still better than many people!"

Zhou An smiled and asked, "Has Zecheng ever considered what the imperial court should do if it wants to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun?"

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changbai pondered for a moment and said, "Internal reform and strengthening are inevitable, but there are also many external opportunities that can be utilized."

The Liao Dynasty had a very strong control over the grasslands, but in recent years, the Liao nobles had been exploiting the various tribes of the grasslands very heavily, which had long aroused dissatisfaction among the tribes.

If they can strengthen themselves internally and gain the upper hand in wars against the Liao Dynasty, the various tribes of the grasslands will surely rebel.

Only when the Liao Kingdom is attacked from two sides will it have a chance to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!

There have been recent rumors that the Liao emperor is terminally ill. In his early years, the Liao emperor appointed his younger brother as crown prince, and a few years ago he appointed his eldest son as Grand Marshal of the Army.

If the Liao emperor were to pass away, the uncle and nephew would inevitably vie for the throne and a conflict would break out.

If the Liao Kingdom were to experience internal strife, the Great Zhou would have a much greater chance of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!

Zhou An nodded slightly; Sheng Changbai's analysis was very accurate.

First, there was the situation on the grasslands. Although the Liao Dynasty was a nomadic people, after it occupied the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, it relocated its people to live in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

The grasslands only directly controlled a portion of the area near the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun; the grasslands further away were left to the small tribes that were dependent on the Liao Kingdom.

In their treatment of these small tribes, the Liao Dynasty and the later Qing Dynasty were actually quite similar.

After the Qing Dynasty took control of the Central Plains, it divided the grasslands into grids, allocating a piece of land to each tribe, and these tribes could only live and graze within their designated areas.

They are not allowed to encroach on the territory of other tribes, nor are they allowed to form alliances or intermarry with other tribes.

Once discovered, it would be considered tantamount to a rebellion, and troops would be dispatched to suppress it directly.

The Liao Dynasty was similar in this respect. Although it did not define strict regions, it did restrict small tribes from annexing each other.

If a tribe becomes too large, it will be split into multiple tribes.

In this respect, it is somewhat similar to the "Decree of Grace".

In short, large tribes are not allowed to appear on the grasslands.

The Liao nobles, who were in charge of managing the grasslands, severely exploited those tribes.

This greatly displeased the tribes, but unfortunately, the tribes were too small to resist.

Once Zhou and Liao engage in battle, Zhou can gain the upper hand, forcing Liao to mobilize its troops controlling the grasslands, which could potentially lead to a rebellion by various grassland tribes.

Secondly, the Liao court was also in turmoil at this time. When the current Liao emperor ascended the throne, his mother wanted to control the government.

Unfortunately, the Liao emperor was already an adult when he ascended the throne, so she was never given a chance to exercise power.

When faced with power, even mothers and children can turn against each other.

Empress Dowager Liao then contacted another son, preparing to depose the Liao emperor and support his succession.

But for some reason, the Empress Dowager's son turned around and reported it to the Liao Emperor.

Upon learning the news, the Liao emperor placed the Empress Dowager under house arrest.

He was deeply moved by his younger brother's accusation and immediately promised to follow the example of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and to appoint his brother as the Crown Prince.

But a younger brother is never as close as a son. I was only moved at the time, but after calming down, I regretted it.

Although he remembered his brother's contributions, he did not harm him, nor did he strip him of his status as crown prince.

However, the rewards bestowed upon the eldest son of the legitimate wife became increasingly generous, until a few years ago when he was appointed as the Grand Marshal of the Army and the People's Liberation Army.

The Grand Marshal of the Army of the Liao Dynasty was somewhat similar to the Prefect of Kaifeng of the Zhou Dynasty.

If a non-royal member were to hold the position, it would be an ordinary official post.

Once a member of the royal family assumes the position, it is equivalent to the crown prince.

In this way, it means that the Liao Kingdom now has two crown princes, one of whom is the Crown Prince appointed by the Liao Emperor.

The other was the eldest son of the Liao emperor.

In fact, judging from the Liao emperor's arrangement, his appointment of his son as the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the Realm seemed to be giving his younger brother a choice.

If his younger brother could voluntarily give up the position of crown prince, and the Liao emperor readily agreed, then everyone would be happy.

If his brother is unwilling, he might very well take action against him.

However, before the Liao emperor could take any action, he suddenly fell seriously ill.

Now it all depends on the Liao emperor's physical condition. If he is still conscious, he may be able to eliminate his brother, this unstable factor, before he dies.

Otherwise, the Liao Kingdom would likely have been plunged into internal strife.

"What a pity!"

Sheng Changbai sighed, "If Prime Minister Fan's new policies had succeeded back then, the Liao Emperor's death would have been the best opportunity for the Great Zhou to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun!"