Chapter 160 Catching Them Off Guard

Upon hearing Liang Fengying's words, Zhao Huan knew that he had already compromised.

"It is very simple. I want you to become the eyes and ears of my imperial court, and report everything you see and hear back to me," Zhao Huan said to Liang Fengying.

Liang Fengying shook his head with a bitter smile. It sounded very simple, but carrying it out was by no means easy. In this way, Taoism would effectively become an organization subordinate to the imperial court.

"If you have any concerns, you may raise them now," Zhao Huan told him.

Liang Fengying shook his head. Since this matter left no room for change, he had no choice but to comply. Religion, when all was said and done, ultimately had to serve the rulers.

"To assist you in establishing branches across various nations, I will also provide you with manpower support. When the time comes, I will send some people disguised as your Taoist priests to help you," Zhao Huan said.

The two of them conversed for the better part of the day before Liang Fengying finally left the imperial palace. Outwardly, the pretext was that he had gone to expound the Dao to Zhao Huan, but in reality, he had taken on a massive undertaking entrusted to him by the emperor.

The foremost religion—he hoped Zhao Huan was not merely deceiving him, Liang Fengying thought to himself with a heavy heart.

Next, the first branch of Taoism was to be established in Xingqing Prefecture. Liang Fengying found that he was increasingly unable to figure Zhao Huan out. He had originally expected the emperor to have him set up the branch in Shangjing, the capital of the Jin dynasty, yet he never imagined it would be Xingqing Prefecture, the capital of Western Xia.

"Could it be that Zhao Huan is about to make a move against Western Xia?" A bold speculation could not help but rise in Liang Fengying's mind. Once this thought surfaced, he was somewhat startled, feeling as though he had stumbled upon a world-shaking secret.

After Liang Fengying departed, Zhao Huan sat alone in the imperial study, his thoughts drifting far away. Over five thousand Feathered Cavalry had been dispatched into Western Xia, and their current situation remained unknown. One very important reason he had set his first target on Western Xia was for revenge—to retaliate against Western Xia for acting as an accomplice when the Jin army invaded the Song dynasty.

Outside Dayan City in Western Xia.

Yang Weiguo listened as a scout reported the latest movements of the Western Xia army.

"General, a hundred thousand troops of Western Xia have marched out from Xingqing Prefecture and are heading in our direction again," the scout reported to Yang Weiguo.

Yang Weiguo could not help but suck in a breath through his teeth. The Western Xia military certainly held his force of five thousand men in high regard, having successively dispatched a total of three hundred thousand troops to wipe them out.

Three hundred thousand against five thousand—the two sides were simply not on the same order of magnitude.

"Have you found out who is leading the army this time?" Yang Weiguo inquired.

"Reporting to the General, it is said that the commanders this time are the renowned Western Xia general Fengren Duobaozhong and his son," the scout replied.

The Fengren clan was a distinguished family of military commanders in Western Xia. Ever since the founding of the nation, the family had produced numerous famous generals, and Fengren Duobaozhong was by far the most celebrated among them in contemporary Western Xia.

"Is someone else here to deliver their heads?" Luo Ping walked over, a blade of grass dangling from his corner of his mouth, smiling lazily as he appeared quite at ease.

Yang Weiguo said, "This time is different. The one coming is Fengren Duobaozhong, a famed general of Western Xia with a formidable reputation."

Luo Ping said dismissively, "A great reputation is often undeserved. No matter how miraculous the rumors are outside, what the reality is remains to be seen." He spoke with implied meaning, much like the two infamous figures from Western Xia's renowned Yeli family—they too were celebrated generals, yet they had all been wiped out by Yang Weiguo and his men.

Yang Weiguo waved his hand and said, "We must not be careless this time. I have studied Fengren Duobaozhong's tactical style; he is neither rash nor reckless. Every advance he makes is steady and solid. He does not rely on unorthodox surprise maneuvers, but instead wins through orthodox strength. He was the commander-in-chief of the expedition that attacked Guanzhong, trapping General Wu in the mountains for days and nearly wiping out his entire force."

Yang Weiguo knew in his heart that their victories in the previous two battles were largely due to taking advantage of a few pampered scions of nobility, but this time they were facing a battle-hardened and formidable general in Fengren Duobaozhong personally leading the troops. The situation was extremely unfavorable for the Feathered Cavalry.

A somewhat cynical expression remained on Luo Ping's face. He shrugged nonchalantly and said, "If we can beat them, we fight; if we can't, we simply run away. After all, our legs are attached to our own bodies."

Having known Luo Ping for a long time, Yang Weiguo knew this was simply his personality—he treated everything with lightness, perhaps attaching immense importance to the matter psychologically, yet never showing a trace of it on the surface.

"Now that the tasks assigned to us by His Majesty can be considered complete, I want to discuss with you what our next move should be," Yang Weiguo said to Luo Ping. "Shall we pull back our forces and return to the capital, or continue to stay here and fight a decisive battle with the Western Xia army?"

Luo Ping spat the blade of grass onto the ground. Instead of answering Yang Weiguo's question, he countered, "The two options you are thinking of are certainly something the Jin army can anticipate as well."

Yang Weiguo nodded and said, "That is true. You always have the most crafty ideas. Tell me, how should we handle this situation?"

Luo Ping looked at the sun, which was about to set, stood up, and said, "This time, let's do the exact opposite. Let's head in that direction." As he spoke, he pointed toward the setting sun.

"We are heading west?" Yang Weiguo asked Luo Ping in surprise. "I am discussing a serious matter with you; stop talking nonsense."

Luo Ping nodded and said to Yang Weiguo, "Indeed, I am discussing a serious matter with you. The enemy is numerous and we are few; if we want to make a breakthrough, this is the only way. Even you could not have thought of this, so how could Fengren Duobaozhong possibly expect it?"

Yang Weiguo pondered for a moment and said to Luo Ping, "This move is indeed unexpected, but if we do this, we will be traveling further and further away from our homeland."

Luo Ping said indifferently, "Far is far. Our legs belong to us. Once the blockade by the Western Xia army passes, we can completely lead everyone back. Only by staying alive can we return to our homeland."

Yang Weiguo nodded and said, "I agree with your view. In a moment, I will speak with everyone. If no one has any objections, we will follow your plan and march westward."

"General, Luo heard that right after Fengren Duobaozhong returned to his country from our dynasty, his military command was stripped away by Li Shunqian. I think we can take advantage of this and drive an even deeper wedge between the monarch and his subject," Luo Ping told Yang Weiguo.