Two months have passed in the blink of an eye during the Northern Expedition and the Western Expedition. During this period, the Qiaoqi Army first captured Yiyang and Anyi, and swept through the three counties of Hedong, making their military power all over the world!
Then the troops entered Guanzhong. After successively conquering Tongguan and Wuguan, the three battalions of the Xiaoqi Army, Tianshu, Zhaoyao, and Zhuque, with nearly 60,000 horses, quickly advanced into Guanzhong from the west and south!
The two battalions of Zheng Lue and Tian Luo combined forces to defeat Murong Chong and Murong Xian's 10,000 troops in Huayin, and drove Murong Chong out of Guanzhong. Under the cover of Han Yanshun, Murong Chong went north to Feng Yi and fled to Fenyang, preparing to seize Fu Xi's Bingzhou territory. Xihe.
Murong Chong did not join Murong Chuiyi because Bingzhou blocked the main route for his remaining soldiers to Jizhou. If he wanted to go to Zhongshan or Yecheng, he could not go from Sizhou of Xiaoqi Army, let alone go directly to Bingzhou. He could only go north in a circle, which was not only a long journey. , the Yan army's food and grass were not enough to support them across Bingzhou.
Second, because Murong Chong had been emperor for so long, he believed that his destiny was his. Murong Chui had always been at odds with the former Yan lineage. As the legitimate son of Emperor Jing Zhao Murong Jun, he was even more unwilling to rely on others, especially his fourth uncle.
Following Xu Zongwen's previous secret orders, Zheng Lue and Tian Luo deliberately let Murong Chong go, attacked Guanzhong with all their strength, and marched towards Chang'an. At the same time, Zhuge Kan also confronted Gao Gai's army in Lantian.
After receiving news that various counties and counties had fallen one after another, Gao Gai abandoned Chang'an and actually went to Xinping Yao Chang...
The situation of the Xiaoqi Army in Guanzhong was excellent, but the Xiangyang soldiers, Beifu soldiers, Xi Hui and Xu Wen's offensive in Jizhou were blocked. After the obituary of Zhu Xu's death in Yecheng reached Luoyang, Xu Zongwen could no longer sit still!
"How did Zhu Shijun die in battle? Was the news wrong?" Xu Zongwen really didn't believe that Zhu Xu, as the commander of an army, would die in battle!
The envoy sent by Zhu Chen to announce the funeral was full of sorrow and did not dare to conceal it: "The envoy took the lead and captured Dangyin City... Unfortunately, when he was commanding the attack on Ye City, he was hit by an arrow from the Yan army. The arrow penetrated deep into the organs. The military doctor returned The weather was weak, and you were old, so it was not easy to recover. After receiving Murong Feng's letter of war, you became furious and vomited blood and died on the spot!"
"Why!"
Xu Zongwen sighed and said that destiny is unpredictable. It seemed like it was yesterday that the two met. He did not expect that the meeting a year ago would be the last meeting between the two. After all, Zhu Xu was also Xu Zongwen's bole. As soon as he left, the Yanzhou Army suddenly I'm afraid it won't work if we lose our subordinates and attack Yecheng rashly again!
"Please quickly invite Mr. Auxiliary Machine and Mr. Keeper of the Agreement to come and discuss matters."
"promise!"
The matter was urgent and Xu Zongwen couldn't make a decision for a while. Zhu Xu's sudden death was too sudden!
With no other choice, Xu Zongwen could only invite the two conspirators, Pei Qing and Xi Jian, to come and discuss the matter.
"I've met my lord!"
Soon, Pei and Xi arrived on orders.
Xu Zongwen waved his hand: "No need to be polite, please take a seat."
"Let's all read it!" Xu Zongwen didn't waste any time and handed Zhu Xu's obituary directly to the two envoys for circulation in front of Zhu Chen's envoy.
"Zhu Shijun - gone!" Pei Qing seemed to be in disbelief. She repeatedly confirmed that the obituary was correct, and then came to her senses.
Upon hearing this, Xi Jian took the obituary from Pei Qing and began to read it carefully with a frown.
Xu Zongwen sighed with regret: "If God does not bless me, the Jin Dynasty will break this pillar. This is not only the loss of the court, but also the misfortune of Xu Xiao! The envoy is my bole. Without the envoy, what would happen? Xu Xiao's day today? I want to go to Yecheng in person to pay homage to the envoy. I wonder what you two think about it?"
Paying homage to Zhu Xu was just one of the things Xu Zongwen wanted to do when he went to Yecheng. Both Pei Qing and Xi Jian knew this.
"Unfortunately, the king died in battle. As a descendant, the lord should go to pay his respects in person. My subordinates will abide by any decision of the lord."
"It's just my lord, General Shen Yu is about to attack Shangdang. If my lord wants to go to Yecheng, Luoyang doesn't have many troops to escort him at the moment. This-"
Pei Qing has already prepared the food and fodder for Shen Yu Tianji's camp and is about to set off today. The field soldiers around Luoyang have been ordered to mobilize eight thousand to reinforce the wild king. If Xu Zongwen wants to leave, the Xiaoqi army will not have enough troops to escort him. My lord Your safety cannot be guaranteed. This is a major matter that cannot be ignored!
Xi Jian also worried: "Our army has penetrated deep into the hinterland of Guanzhong. It is the most critical moment right now. A few days ago, General Zhang asked in Shangyong to send troops to Badong to cooperate with Huan Zhenwu in attacking Yizhou. If the lord leaves easily, military information will rush back and forth." It will be inconvenient and may even cause delays!”
"This!" Seeing Xu Zongwen's expression of embarrassment, the envoy became a little worried.
When he came to Luoyang, Zhu Chen invited Xu Zongwen to go to Yecheng to take charge of the overall situation. If Xu Zongwen didn't go, I'm afraid there would be big trouble in Yecheng!
Zhu Chen lacks qualifications and prestige. He can only control a part of the Xiangyang soldiers. There are also Xu Yuanxi, the governor of Qingzhou, who has a higher official position than him, and Liu Laozhi, the prefect of Xingyang at the same level. After Zhu Xu's death, who will take charge of the various ministries? ?
Xu Zongwen was completely different. The imperial court not only granted Xu Zongwen the governorship of Qingyou and the military affairs of the seven states of Hebei, Yong, Qin and Liang, but also granted Xu Zongwen the power of fake yellow axe. Xu Zongwen was the commander-in-chief of the Xiaoqi Army and the nominal commander-in-chief of the northern Jin army!
Once Xu Zongwen arrives in Yecheng, he will not need these long-term official positions. With his reputation as the undefeated god of war, whether it is Xiangyang soldiers, Qingzhou soldiers or Beifu soldiers, they will be willing to accept his control. Xu Yuanxi and Liu Laozhi will not hesitate!
Along with Zhu Xu's obituary, Zhu Chen sent Zhu Xu's last letter to Xu Zongwen. In the letter, Zhu Xu also left some last words in which he hoped that Xu Zongwen would look at the past and ask Xu Zongwen to promote and take care of Zhu Chen, etc.
Xu Zongwen had already made plans in his mind. He planned to report to the imperial court, hoping that the imperial court would grant Zhu Xu a title and official posthumous title. Zhu Chen, the general of Ningyuan and the prefect of Linqiu, would inherit the title of Prince of Xiangping County that Zhu Xu had been granted. Xu Zongwen was willing to recommend Zhu Chen He was the governor of Yanzhou.
As for his safety, Xu Zongwen came out of the battlefield, and now he has returned to the battlefield. Many swords, guns and swords have come over him. Is he still afraid of the six or seven hundred miles from Luoyang to Yecheng?
The bad news of Zhu Xu's death in battle was not enough to scare Xu Zongwen away. Although Murong Feng was much stronger than Murong Bao and his ilk, Xu Zongwen would not be afraid.
"Don't worry about the escort. The fewer people there, the better. Don't arouse the Yan army's suspicion." Xu Zongwen saw Xi Jian getting up to object and continued: "Keep the promise. When I am not in Luoyang, you will assist the auxiliary forces in managing our big army." In the rear, the auxiliary machine is my Xiao He, and you are my Zhang Liang. I hope you two can work together!"
Xu Zongwen's words have come to this, and Xi Jian can no longer object.
"The general understands the great righteousness, and I admire him very much! Why don't you invite the general and the subordinate to go to Yecheng together, so that they can take care of each other on the way." The envoy saw that Xu Zongwen had confirmed the itinerary and that the mission of the trip had been achieved. He was very excited. Invite Xu Zongwen to accompany you.
Xu Zongwen readily agreed, and then Xu Zongwen personally wrote a letter to Shangyong Zhanggui, agreeing with him to send troops to attack Badong, but asking him not to be greedy for credit and to always pay attention to cooperating with Huan Shimin.
Xu Zongwen was still uneasy. He was very worried about his young brother. He wrote to Jiangling to ask Guo Sang to complete the mission and then go to Shangyong to advise Zhang Gui on military aircraft. He hoped that the battle of Yizhou would go smoothly.
Xu Zongwen on the Ye King's side also told Shen Yu to send troops immediately to attack Shangdang, but after capturing Shangdang, he asked Shen Yu to stand by and not put too much pressure on Fu Pi and Fu Xi brothers, so that they could take the initiative to seek peace and fight wholeheartedly. Murong fought.
Xu Zongwen of the Third Battalion of Guanzhong just asked them to fight steadily, consolidate the victory, and capture Chang'an and Sanfu. Don't get involved in the battle between Yao Chang and Fu Deng for the time being. One of the two tigers will be injured in the fight. Wait for them to decide the winner before choosing the opportunity to send troops. !
