Northern Liang already had an army of 300,000. Now that Lin Yi had defeated the two kingdoms of Jushi and Shachi on the border of Northern Liang, it meant that Lin Rusong no longer had any worries about his rear.
Lin Yi could station 100,000 troops along the Ziwu Road, and also launched an attack on the Western Regions, annihilating 70,000 Xining Army. His troop strength was at least between 200,000 and 300,000.
If the father and son join forces, aside from some necessary defenses, they can basically spare 400,000 to 500,000 troops.
This is a big problem!
This force of four to five hundred thousand is no small matter; the slightest mistake could lead to the collapse of the Northern Barbarians and even the destruction of their kingdom.
After all, the Northern Barbarians and the Northern Liang have a blood feud, and the mother of the Prince of Xiliang also died in the chaos of the Northern Barbarians, so the other side will definitely not show any mercy.
Tuoba Wanli glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice, "I naturally know that this father and son have become a big problem. Now I'm asking you to discuss how to deal with this issue. The other side may very well take action against us next spring, so we must prepare as soon as possible!"
Forehead!
Everyone's lips twitched. This damn white expanse of snow, how are we supposed to prepare? I was hoping to stay under the covers.
Now that we're going out to fight, let alone whether the people can hold up, the warhorses probably won't be able to either.
"Your Majesty, war is not the way to go now. The enemy doesn't even need to attack; they just need to hold us back. If we stay in the snow for one or two nights, we'll freeze to death."
"Let's collect these animal hide coats and give them to our soldiers; perhaps they can fight a battle."
"Go to hell! If you take all the coats, won't everyone else freeze to death? I'm not going to do something so cruel!"
The minor kings looked grim. Sending troops now would inevitably result in huge losses for them, not only in the loss of soldiers and generals, but more importantly, they might not even be able to win. This was the most terrifying problem.
Prime Minister Yelü Hai frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, our army has just fought a battle with Great Ning and lost nearly 100,000 troops. If we are to face an army of 400,000 to 500,000 directly now, I'm afraid we will be in big trouble!"
Once this battle begins, regardless of victory or defeat, it will be disadvantageous to us.
"If we suffer any losses, Li Anlan will not let this opportunity pass; he will definitely reap the benefits."
Upon hearing this, not only did the minor princes' faces turn sour, but even Tuoba Wanli's expression darkened. Li Anlan was absolutely capable of such a thing.
After thinking for a moment, he said in a deep voice, "The Prime Minister is right. We cannot take the initiative to fight this battle, nor can we fight only the Lin family. Let's send someone to inquire about Li Anlan."
If he doesn't want the Lin family to dominate the North, he'd better be smart and put some pressure on them, otherwise don't blame me for quitting!
Rather than letting Li Anlan reap the benefits, it's better to drag him down with us.
They're teaming up, father and son; we're enemies teaming up. It's a fair fight!
"Your Majesty is wise! This is excellent!"
Yelü Hai nodded slightly. This was indeed a good choice; at least it would prevent the Northern Barbarians from being isolated and helpless, which was quite good.
Tuoba Wanli nodded, then said in a deep voice, "This battle is probably inevitable. In order to avoid being caught off guard, we must strengthen the defensive forces of the first line of defense, Wind and Snow City."
Everyone nodded in agreement. This was indeed a crucial issue; at the very least, they couldn't allow the enemy to breach their defenses directly.
However, this Wind and Snow City is not easy to defend. Although it is called a city, its walls are not high at all, and are actually just some wooden fences, making it quite difficult to defend against enemy attacks.
Tuoba Wanli's gaze swept over several famous kings, and they all quickly avoided his gaze, as if afraid of being targeted.
This infuriated him. These guys, after becoming kings, lost all ambition and became nothing more than good-for-nothings.
He then looked at the group of generals, and finally locked onto one of them, saying in a deep voice, " Yelü Dafeng, I hereby authorize you to recruit 100,000 troops to guard the first line of defense of Wind and Snow City. Do you have the confidence to do so?"
"I?"
When Yelü Dafeng heard the barbarian king call his name, he was immediately trembling with excitement.
Although he was a member of the Yelü Clan, he was only from a collateral branch. Now he had a chance. With an army of 100,000 men at his disposal, he might become a minor king and rise to power in one step.
He exclaimed excitedly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, Yelü Dafeng will definitely not let you down!"
"Good!"
Tuoba Wanli couldn't help but slap his thigh. This kid has guts; I have high hopes for him.
He said in a deep voice, "Although Yelü Dafeng is guarding the first pass, we still cannot relax in the slightest. Qingfeng, Qingsong, and Dashan, the three of you are responsible for providing support to Yelü Dafeng at any time!"
Even if he and his son join forces in this battle, my Northern Barbarians will not fear them in the slightest!
These words, spoken with unwavering integrity and neither servility nor arrogance, instantly drew cheers from the crowd.
The barbarian king is still the same barbarian king, his aura is still overwhelming.
Moreover, the barbarian king went to such lengths this time, even putting his three own sons on the line. This is truly selfless and admirable.
"Your subject understands!"
Tuoba Qingsong did not refuse and agreed immediately, but he was a little surprised, as his father was not like this.
After the outsiders left, Tuoba Qingshan couldn't help but whisper, "Father, even if it's about supporting the front lines, it should be my elder brother and I who are responsible for that. If my third brother goes along too, you'll be all alone."
The eldest prince's lips twitched. "Thank you, second prince!"
"Nonsense, I gave you permission to provide support at any time so that you could easily move supplies. The outcome of this battle is uncertain, and we must preserve a sliver of hope, so you'd better be quick-witted." Tuoba Wanli rolled his eyes at the two men and sneered.
What?
The three brothers were dumbfounded. Just a moment ago, their father was so resolute, but now he was about to move the supplies and leave.
This talk of preserving the flame is just a pretext for running away.
The honest Tuoba Qingshan frowned and said, "Father, isn't this a bad idea? If we just run away like this, what will the All Under Heaven think of us?"
"Fool, you'll only know how people see you when you're alive. If you're dead, people will shit on your head and you won't even know!" Tuoba Wanli sneered.
Tuoba Qingsong's lips twitched; this was more like his father.
He knew in his heart that his father no longer had the ambition he once had; his ambition had long been worn down when he was entangled with Northern Liang and Great Ning.
His only thought now is to protect the Northern Barbarians barbarians.
All talk of saving face is nonsense.
Tuoba Qingfeng frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Father, are you saying we won't fight and will just leave?"
Of course not!
Tuoba Wanli shook his head and said in a deep voice, "This battle must be fought, and the outcome is still uncertain. But what I mean by telling you to be smart is that if things go wrong, you should retreat immediately!"
If you can win, then fight; if you can't, then you have to retreat!