To leave the collapsing Western Xia alone instead of striking it would have been downright sinful.
Especially for the Song Dynasty's officials, who had already tasted victory—and more importantly, for an aging emperor. Not only did they want to attack Western Xia, they also wanted to strike the Khitan, who were barely hanging on in the north.
Naturally, Wang's constant weakening of the northwest had played a part, throwing Western Xia into endless internal turmoil. Not only were the common people under its rule in chaos, but the upper ruling class had also fought bloody battles over power and profit.
But after several years of stable development, Fan Zhongyan and the others had returned to office and gradually carried out reforms after learning from past lessons. The Song Dynasty's troops were strong, its horses robust, its coffers full, and its people at peace. It truly had become terrifyingly powerful.
This war to destroy Western Xia had not even affected the country's normal development. A war of national annihilation had been settled with ease.
Reforms were certainly useful, but there were still many areas they had not touched. For example, the ongoing land surveys and population checks had encountered extremely powerful resistance. Hosting banquets, beheading the troublesome ones, taking the rest in as dogs—the local great households were thoroughly practiced at such games. Even the commercial taxes that had been fully implemented were merely a glittering facade. The current figures were undoubtedly inaccurate.
Then there were the problems of the imperial clan, the nobility, salt and iron, grain transport, the judiciary, oversight of officials, and more. Every one of them was a problem, every one of them something that could not be touched lightly—because touching them could prove fatal.
Even so, they had managed to squeeze out more money here and