Chapter 96: Responding to the Crisis

"Brother Yelu, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Xu, who once served in my prince's mansion. After the mansion was sealed, he was left destitute. Only after learning that I had found a place to settle did he travel thousands of miles to find me."

When introducing Xu Jiang to Yelu Min, Zhao Yu found himself unable to call him by the name Xu Chu, which the man had chosen for himself; he felt it was an insult to the legendary "Tiger Fool."

Xu Jiang, however, had no such reservations. He cupped his hands and bowed to Yelu Min, saying, "Xu Chu pays his respects to General Yelu."

Yelu Min waved a hand dismissively. "No need for formalities. Mr. Xu's loyalty is admirable. From now on, we are colleagues and should look out for one another."

Yelu Min had been so preoccupied with the joy of seeing Zhao Yu yesterday that he had forgotten the monumental issue of military provisions. Although Zhao Yu did not directly blame him, Yelu Min felt embarrassed, and after the martial arts competition, he had followed Zhao Yu to the government office.

At this point, Zhao Yu had no energy to reproach him; resolving the immediate crisis was the priority.

The specifics had already been explained to Xu Jiang, who was deeply unsettled by the situation. He understood Zhao Yu's ambition to use the Yanyun region as his base of operations, and he knew that if unrest broke out in Yanyun due to a famine, it would be nearly impossible to pacify the people later.

Seeing Zhao Yu looking at him, Xu Jiang said in a low, serious voice, "I have only just arrived and am not yet fully familiar with the military situation. However, after reviewing the records of the prefectural warehouses, I can confirm that there is very little grain left throughout Youzhou. We might barely scrape by until spring, but supplying the army is, I fear, entirely out of the question."

Zhao Yu had only spent half a day at the military camp, yet in that same span of time, Xu Jiang had reviewed the Youzhou records and even handled a significant backlog of administrative affairs. He could no longer be described merely as a capable official.

Zhao Yu could not help but offer a wry smile. The first thing he had done upon arriving in Youzhou before the new year was to open the granaries to feed the people. Now, while he had the support of the populace, the army was on the verge of starvation. He wondered if this could be considered an ironic twist of fate.

"Brother Yelu, if it were in the past, what measures would the army take when faced with a grain shortage?"

Yelu Min spread his hands and said, "It’s simple: 'foraging'—raiding the countryside. But I fear Your Highness might find it difficult to bring yourself to do that now."

Hearing this, Zhao Yu frowned. "Foraging," in plain terms, meant plundering Song towns. Both Song and Liao frontier armies did this frequently; it was nothing unusual. But as Yelu Min had noted, Zhao Yu was ethnically Han; how could he bring himself to strike at his own people?

Xu Jiang suddenly smiled. "Your Highness is benevolent, and I am sure you would not commit such acts of plunder. However, we could go and 'borrow' grain from the cities of the Central Plains!"

Xu Jiang’s words stunned both Zhao Yu and Yelu Min. They thought, *Are you out of your mind?* Not to mention that the two nations were technically at war, even without the current hostilities, the Song Dynasty would never lend grain unless Zhao Yu surrendered the Yanyun region.

"Do not misunderstand, both of you. I do not suggest that Your Highness should surrender. What I mean is that in preparation for the Northern Expedition, the Song Dynasty built many granaries from Bianliang all the way to the border. Even though we are not currently in a state of all-out war, I happen to know that those granaries are full."

Having said this, Xu Jiang stopped, as the specific implementation was beyond his control.

The nearest Song city to Youzhou was Zhending Prefecture, but a formidable man sat in command there—the old General Zong Ze. Zhao Yu dared not go near him. Military strategy was not Zhao Yu’s strong suit, so it was better to stay far away from such a titan. Moreover, he did not truly want to start a war with the Song.

After a moment of contemplation, his eyes suddenly brightened. "Is Liu Wenguang still the prefect of Taiyuan?"

Although Xu Jiang hadn't voiced his opinion yet, his thoughts clearly aligned with Zhao Yu's. Liu Wenguang had nearly become Zhao Yu’s father-in-law; surely borrowing some grain from him wouldn't be a problem? Of course, the word "borrowing" would need to be taken with a grain of salt.

Yelu Min asked with concern, "If we do this, will it trigger a full-scale war between the two nations?"

"The Song army has been deployed to the south to suppress rebellions; they cannot be recalled in the short term. The most important thing is that we must strike a balance: we must get the job done without excessively provoking the Song monarch and his court."

Xu Jiang said this on behalf of Zhao Yu, as a strategist should always know when to speak for his lord.

"The closest route from outside the passes to Taiyuan Prefecture is through Yanmen Pass. But given its strategic defenses, a frontal assault is unrealistic. We must take a detour."

"Brother Yelu, how about we play a game of 'feinting to the east while attacking the west'?"

Yelu Min felt his brain struggling to keep up. A grain shortage was a major crisis, but provoking a war without authorization was equally grave. Seeing these two Han men so keen on plundering their own people’s cities, he didn't know what to make of it.

"Your Highness, this matter is far too significant. Should we not report it to the imperial court first?"

"The journey to the Supreme Capital is long. How much time would be wasted in a back-and-forth? If those bureaucratic windbags in the court start bickering, we will be the ones to suffer. Let us do this: we will take action while simultaneously sending a memorial to the court. By the time they reach a decision, we will likely have already returned."

Yelu Min understood that Zhao Yu intended to act first and report later. After a moment of silence, he smiled bitterly. "You are the Governor of Youzhou; you make the call. At worst, I will face the consequences with you."

Zhao Yu had long since realized that Yelu Min was a man capable of great things, which was why he kept nothing from him.

He smiled calmly. "Submit a secret memorial. That way, even if something goes wrong, it will ensure your safety."

Hearing this, Yelu Min was stunned, thinking to himself that this young man had known everything all along.

Youzhou had between thirty and forty thousand troops, but a garrison had to be left behind, so the force available for this operation would not exceed thirty thousand. If it were a simple raid, they wouldn't need so many, but they had to ensure the army could return safely with the grain; hence, the entire force had to be brought along.

According to the plan, Yelu Min would lead the main force of twenty thousand to deter the Song army near Zhending, while Zhao Yu and Yelu Huan would strike directly at Taiyuan Prefecture.

Although no one approved of Zhao Yu joining the operation, he insisted on going. He needed to control the situation to prevent an accidental escalation, and it served as a personal trial for him as well.

The reason successive Song emperors had been obsessed with the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, aside from it being inherent territory of the Central Plains, was that its existence left the heartland with almost no natural defenses. While Yanmen Pass was formidable, it could easily be bypassed.

Furthermore, the Song army lacked horses. Whenever the Liao cavalry attacked in force, the Song soldiers could only hunker down within their city walls. This was the main reason Zhao Yu and Xu Jiang dared to risk heading south to seize grain—though, of course, this fact could never be made public.

Three days later, the army set out according to plan. Since the recruitment in Youzhou, the troops had undergone constant training, and the people of Youzhou were accustomed to such movements. Even the soldiers themselves did not know the purpose or the destination of this drill.

At the same time, the letter from Wanyan Xiyin was delivered into the hands of Xiao Fengxian.