Two days ago, Luoyang, Sizhou Governor's Mansion.
On this day, Xu Zongwen had just returned from an inspection at Beimangshan Camp, where the Wolf Guards were stationed. Zhang Silai reported that Shen Yu, Zheng Lue and others had returned to Luoyang and were waiting in the meeting hall of the mansion. Xu Zongwen immediately ordered everyone in the shogunate to discuss matters together.
When the lights in Luoyang City were brightly lit, there was indeed silence in the Governor's Mansion. The elite Wolf Guard Battalion outside the mansion surrounded the entire Governor's Mansion, not even a bird could fly in. Seeing this, the people around started talking.
During the day, notices from the governor's office were conveyed to all the streets in the city, stating that a curfew would be implemented tonight. No one was allowed to stay on the streets after midnight, otherwise they would be caught by the officers of the Luoyang Yamen Office patrolling the streets or the soldiers and horses of the patrol camp, and would be fined. , paraded in public...
You must know that the curfew has long been abolished by Xu Zong's Civilization Order. Now it has become so popular, and there are constant rumors inside and outside the city. Many people have begun to believe that the defeat of the Xiaoqi Army is true!
The city's defenses were tight, the curfew was restarted, sentries and cavalry gathered, and the generals returned to Luoyang. There had never been such a big movement since the heroic cavalry army took control of Luoyang.
There was a lot of discussion outside the house, but inside the house there was a dead silence.
Xu Zongwen knelt down and sat on the throne without saying a word for a long time. Dozens of Cavalry generals and shogunate officials in the audience all held their breath and said nothing.
Hanzhong was defeated and Zhang Gui died. The Xiaoqi Army has never suffered such humiliation since it formed an army!
"Dong dong——" The sound of knocking on the table that suddenly started and stopped suddenly made everyone's eyes suddenly focus on Xu Zongwen.
"I've also read the military reports, and I've also met the defeated soldiers who came back from Nanzheng. Let's talk about it. What should we do?"
Xu Zongwen set the tone for the discussion. He looked at Shen Yu and said, "Third brother will speak first."
Shen Yu was named by Xu Zongwen and had to start. He spoke calmly: "Nanzheng has been lost, the sixth brother is dead, and the Anqin army is nothing but an empty frame. Now he wants to avenge his shame and seize the only way to seize Hanzhong." Just send a new army south to conquer."
"This time, our Tianji Battalion has withdrawn from Nanyang under the order of the lord. The three battalions of Zhaoyao, Tianshu and Zhuque are all stationed near Chang'an and Weinan. A retinue of the Wolf Guard follows the lord. It is my intention to lead the Wolf Guard southward from Nanyang. Go southwest to Xicheng, Chenggu and march along the old road of Anqin Army..."
"In addition, the Guanzhong Third Battalion can be selected as a detachment to go south to Hanzhong, via the Qinling Mountains, and raid Yangping Pass!" Shen Yu said word by word.
Shen Yu said slowly, "In this way, Yangpingguan and Nanzheng are at each other's horns. The situation will disappear! And our army, with the power of the victory in Guanzhong and the courage of the mourning soldiers, will surely defeat the enemy and capture Hanzhong!"
"That's right! The only plan for now is to send more troops to attack Hanzhong. The revenge of the sixth brother must be avenged, and the shame of defeat must be avenged!" Zheng Lue slapped the wooden case hard, and he stood up: "Everyone! Why are you still hesitating now? How long will it take if we don't send troops now?"
"Fourth brother is right, I, Tian Luo, and Mao Xing are at odds with each other! This time we go to Nanzheng, please allow the Lord to allow the Tianshu camp to go south with us!" Tian Luo stepped forward, clasped his hands, and bowed to Xu Zongwen.
Xu Zongwen looked at the two people who volunteered in front of him, and spoke in a slow and clear tone: "I already know what you two mean, but I can't give you a definite answer at the moment. After today's discussion, we will decide on the candidates for the expedition."
"No." Although the two of them were unwilling to give up, since the discussion was not over yet, they could only obey the order and retreat temporarily.
"Shen Yu's advice won my heart. I wonder if any of you have any other strategies?"
"My lord, my subordinates believe that Guanzhong has been newly established. It is not appropriate to use too many troops stationed in Guanzhong. Pingyang is five hundred miles away from Jinyang, so we should not move lightly. As for Yecheng, Zhu Chen's Xiangyang soldiers can be defended. This time we send troops to attack Mao It is best to control the number of troops that can be sent to our army within 20,000." Pei Qing, as the most important minister in the shogunate and the top staff member in the general's office, also expressed his own opinions after Shen Yu.
Xu Zongwen nodded slowly. After thinking for a while, he agreed: "Soldiers are more valuable than more troops. In my opinion, sending 10,000 troops this time is enough. What Mr. Auxiliary Machinery said is very reasonable."
"Thank you, Lord!"
"My lord, after the Yan State forms an alliance with me, it will definitely invest a large number of troops to attack Jinyang. However, brothers Fu Pi and Fu Xi are arrogant and cowardly, and have no independent ideas but are greedy for pleasure. They are definitely not the opponents of the Murong family. Bingzhou is afraid It will fall into the hands of Murong Chui!" Chief Shi Xi Jian said to Xu Zongwen.
Xu Zongwen touched his chin and planned carefully: "What I said about keeping the promise is true. The decline of the Fu family's descendants since Fu Jian is irreversible, and brothers Murong Chui, Murong De and their nephews are all jackals, with the heart of a tiger and a wolf. , the ambition of reviving the Yan State will never be extinguished. After the Yan State captures Zhongshan, it will definitely annex Bingzhou and then move its capital to Jinyang. Otherwise, once we send troops from Yecheng, Zhongshan will soon fall into our siege!"
Xu Zongwen's bright eyes revealed enthusiasm: "So we must capture Hanzhong before Jinyang is captured by Murong Chui!"
According to the strategy of the three armies' Northern Expedition and Western Expedition submitted by Xu Zongwen, the Xiaoqi Army was mainly responsible for attacking Guanzhong, Xiangyang soldiers went north to Yecheng, and Huan's Xifu Army was responsible for attacking Yizhou.
If Yizhou is recaptured but Hanzhong has not yet been taken, wouldn't it be a joke for the Jiangzuo gentry to see the Qiaoqi Army?
Although Hanzhong was originally not within the attack range of the Xiaoqi Army, now even Zhang Gui was killed in the battle, and three thousand Anqin troops were killed in Nanzheng. How could they not avenge this?
"My lord, my subordinates have something to say, I don't know whether to say it or not." Everyone thought that the situation was decided, and the military planner Xue Zan suddenly stood up, standing out from the crowd, outstanding.
Xu Zongwen quietly looked at this staff member who had only served for less than two months, and said slowly: "Mr. Xue, please speak."
Xue Zan was stunned for a moment, as if he was confused by Xu Zongwen's words. In the shogunate of the so-called Zhengbei General, only the chief assistant Pei Qing and the chief minister Xi Jian were called generals. Drunkard Guo Shang was always referred to by Xu Zongwen as a nickname.
"Youdao is an unjust name. Although your majesty and the assistant ministers have granted the lord the power of conquest, they are mainly limited to Guanzhong and Jizhou. Zhang Jianwei's previous attack on Chenggu and Xicheng has been confirmed. If the lord did not ask the imperial court for instructions this time, And sending troops without authorization is not giving others authority?"
As soon as Xue Zan said this, there was a lot of discussion at the table.
"Therefore, I believe that the first priority at the moment is to publicize the fact that the imperial court has granted the title of Grand Sima to the lord and spread it throughout the world. This will not only enhance the lord's prestige, but also boost morale."
Xue Zan held out three fingers: "Third, our army obeys the destiny of heaven and uses the army of righteousness to wipe out the atrocities of the Qin army. The heroes of Pixiu gather together the tiger and wolf divisions to eliminate the ants. The crazy bandits are eliminated, the Xiaoxiao are wiped out, and the world is clarified. This is It is an act of using good to control evil, punishing evil and promoting good!"
"good!"
"A good one has eliminated the ants, and the crazy bandits have been eliminated!"
…
Before Xue Zan finished speaking, everyone was echoing, and even Xu Zongwen clapped and cheered.
"4. When Hanzhong is at peace, the people will be able to escape from the dire straits, and the soldiers will be saved from being killed. The people of Guizhou will all be grateful to their lord. The Jiankang court will be more afraid of the lord's military power, and will be more aware of his suggestions. Pay attention to three points and don’t dare to neglect them!”
"Lu Na, the envoy entrusted by the imperial court, has been waiting for the lord's summons for a long time. I hope to see the lord as soon as possible."
After finishing this call, Xue Zan bowed deeply to Xu Zongwen and then sat back down.
Regarding the discussion of sending troops to Hanzhong, Xu Zongwen finally decided to adopt Xue Zan's strategy. As for the period of sending troops, Xu Zongwen had not yet given specific time to the generals.
After the meeting, Xu Zongwen had dinner with everyone. As soon as he returned to the backyard after the meeting, he met Murong Ling with red eyes.
"Are you going to fight again?" Murong Ling's tone was a bit whimpering. He ignored Zhang San and threw himself into Xu Zongwen's arms.
Zhang San quietly put everything under the curtain, not even moving.
"Didn't Xue Zan recommend a person to me? Zhang San, go and deliver the order in person and say that I want to see this person immediately."
"promise!"
Xu Zongwen pushed Zhang San aside, and then slowly moved his hand up Murong Ling's back until he held Murong Ling in his arms.
It seemed that Murong Ling's tears made Xu Zongwen a little emotional. He comforted him with deep relief: "It doesn't matter. I have been through life and death in the past two years. This time I am just an ordinary leader. I don't even need to go into battle in person. I won't Something happened."
"Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. You must come back unscathed." Murong Ling raised her head and stared at Xu Zongwen with tears in her eyes.
Xu Zongwen looked at the beauty who was so close and said softly: "You just have a good time in Luoyang. If you are really bored, go out of the city and walk nearby. I will leave a team of wolf guards to protect your safety at any time."
"Just wait for me to come back victorious and marry you."
"I'm waiting for that day!"
…
"Are you Dao Yanzhi?"
A slender man with white complexion and thick eyebrows wearing a turban and long robe pushed open Xu Zongwen's study.
"Meet the general, and the villain will come to Yanzhi."
Xu Zongwen did not answer, but kept staring at Dao Yanzhi who was bowing and saluting.
"Come to Yanzhi and meet the lord!"
"Get up."
It wasn't until the title was changed that Yanzhi felt relieved and bowed again before getting up. "I would like to use all my talents and talents to help my lord solve his difficulties."
"Resolving worries and solving problems," Xu Zongwen waited until Yanzhi sat down and picked up a cup of hot tea: "Aren't you already doing this?"
"Ah?" Facing Xu Zongwen's wise eyes, Dao Yanzhi was surprised and panicked for the first time!
Could it be that he had already discovered that matter?
It shouldn’t be! I never told anyone about this!
