Three days later, Dong Tianxing set out from Luoyi with the imperial edict, passed through Yichuan and Luanchuan, headed southwest, and went straight to the main camp of the Jingxiang Army in Wuguan.
Ma Hongjie and others are now very familiar with him. They couldn't help laughing when they heard that the old Dong came back less than half a month after he returned.
Because they had a good relationship, no one saw him as the imperial envoy, and they just brought him to the table and had a big drink first.
Dong Tianxing was drunk heavily by the two veteran generals Yan Huiqing and Mi Pei. He touched the bottom of the wine glass dizzily and sighed: "Generals, I am afraid that I will offend you this time."
Hearing what he said, Ma Hongjie was a little curious: "I wonder what the minister's orders are when he comes here this time? Does the emperor have any new instructions?"
Dong Tianxing glanced at the generals present and replied hesitantly: "Your Majesty does have a will, um... he wants you to attack Tongguan."
"Hey, I thought it was a big deal." Mi Pei stroked his beard and smiled: "Even if the emperor didn't say anything, we have already started discussing this matter. Capture Wuguan, then capture Tongguan, and cooperate with Li Jiangyao's Zijin Pass , Shengyuguan, the Turkic ghosts were completely sealed in the Guanzhong Plain."
Yan Huiqing also nodded slightly: "Yes, the Tongguan battle is what it should be. The men and women have made sufficient preparations for this and can leave at any time."
Dong Tianxing scratched his head: "Well... the emperor has another idea, which requires the cooperation of all the generals."
"Oh? If you have any other wishes, please tell me directly." Ma Hongjie said.
"The emperor wants General Murong Xue to serve as the commander-in-chief."
As soon as Old Dong said these words, the generals present were stunned on the spot. Ma Hongjie glanced at Yan Huiqing and Mi Pei subconsciously, and remained silent.
Mi Pei has a straightforward personality and couldn't help but say: "Old Dong, this is different from what we agreed at the beginning. Murong Xue is the commander-in-chief, doesn't that mean that the soldiers and horses under his command have a direct position?"
Dong Tianxing shook his head awkwardly: "You can't say that. After all, we are still fighting the Turks, and we have not violated the previous agreement."
"Shit!" Mi Fu waved his hand: "Are you coaxing a three-year-old child? If in the middle of fighting the Turks, King Huaiyang suddenly comes to attack, can Murong Xue let go of the troops in his hand?"
Yan Huiqing patted Mi Pei on the shoulder and told him not to get excited, and then said to Dong Tianxing: "Master Dong, he is right. How much influence does a general have on his army? I think you should also be very It is clear. Once the troops and horses are handed over to the people designated by the emperor to lead them, we Southern troops may immediately fall into a split situation."
Mi Pei agreed: "That's right. Originally, some people supported Li Bing and some supported Li Kuang. Both sides held different opinions, so there was a lot of trouble. Later, in order to work together to fight the Turks, everyone temporarily put aside their grudges and worked together. Go on an expedition. Now it’s good, you gave part of the army to the emperor, but what about the people who support the King of Huaiyang? Will they just pat their butts and leave as usual? "
As he spoke, he pointed at Ma Hongjie again: "Also, the reason why Xiao Ma was elected as the new coach before was because he was impartial and neutral. The generals of the three factions all believed that he could concentrate on dealing with the Turks. Only then will he respond to the suggestion of you, the imperial envoy, to follow Ma Hongjie north to join the war. Murong Xue? Can he guarantee that his butt will not sit crooked? "
Dong Tianxing, who had always been eloquent, was actually silenced by Mi Pei, a big boss, and couldn't help but feel extremely depressed. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to start.
Ma Hongjie said at this time: "Sir, can you tell me why General Murong must be commanded in the Battle of Tongguan? Let's go fight and direct it ourselves, isn't it okay?"
Dong Tianxing wanted to tell him that of course this was okay, but after all, he had the emperor's mandate and he had to be worthy of this job.
"Commander Ma, generals, since you have made your words clear, I will be honest with you." Dong Tianxing thought to himself, let's just go straight: "The reason why the emperor has such an arrangement is not as simple as military power. Your Majesty wants to see if the Jingxiang army is still the army of Shengtang."
Ma Hongjie frowned: "What do you mean, sir? We are not the army of Shengtang, how can we come here to fight against the Turks?"
Dong Tianxing said calmly: "Since it is Shengtang's army, can't you see the situation clearly now? Are you still hesitating and arguing? When you attacked Wuguan a while ago, the emperor's army was originally I prepared to act at the same time and cooperate with you to fight together, but why didn't I participate later? Just because Huaiyang King Li Kuang suddenly sent troops to invade in large numbers and held Murong Xue back. This was obviously helping the Turks. Who is the enemy? , you still can’t tell who your friend is?”
A general heard this and said, "Mr. Dong, are you right? We heard that it was Li Bing's troops who started the war first and attacked King Huaiyang's Bozhou. The Huaiyang army had no choice but to launch the attack. Fighting back.”
"Yes." Another general curled his lips: "We were asked to go north, but you just happened to take time off to fight the King of Huaiyang. This plan is very shrewd."
Dong Tianxing was slightly startled, but he didn't expect that the other party would not accept his trick.
Ma Hongjie said: "Mr. Dong, we know that now the Yizhou court is gradually leaning towards the emperor, and will all move to Dongdu. The dynasty's political power will soon establish its final ownership. Therefore, the emperor has also begun to interest us. We are thinking of changing the previous agreement and taking control of the military in advance. However, please convey the thoughts of the soldiers to the emperor. We still believe that the most important thing at the moment is to drive away the Turks, not the so-called counterinsurgency. Before that, Jing The Xiang Army Corps will always maintain a state of obeying orders but not announcements, and concentrate on fighting the Turks. Even if we are held accountable by the imperial court for resisting the imperial decree in the future, we will not be afraid."
Yan Huiqing and others nodded in support of Ma Hongjie's statement.
Dong Tianxing had no choice but to respond with a wry smile: "Okay, I will tell your Majesty Ma Shuai's words truthfully. To tell you the truth, I personally do not agree with this arrangement. Including General Murong, he also objected, and for this he also I was blamed by the emperor and the courtiers. However, it is difficult to violate the sacred order, and sometimes there is nothing we can do."
Yan Huiqing nodded understandingly: "Old Dong, I know your difficulties. It is not easy for us ministers to encounter such a chaotic world. If we can't see the direction and distinguish right from wrong, we can only ask for help. A clear conscience.”
He clinked the wine glasses with Dong Tianxing, and then said: "Okay, let's not talk about the troublesome things for now. Tell us, is there any new news from the Zhenjiang Army?"
Dong Tianxing drank the wine in one gulp and asked instead, "Have you read the anti-enemy strategy written by Protector Li Jiangyao?"
Ma Hongjie nodded: "I've seen it, it's very insightful."
"That's true." Dong Tianxing praised sincerely: "Li Daduhu has been fighting against the Turks for a long time and has very rich experience. He has indeed revealed the key strategy of restraining the enemy's elite cavalry. At present, the Zhenjiang Army is fully preparing for war. Once the Turks As soon as he showed his defeat, he immediately set out from Zijin Pass to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy."
Yan Huiqing said: "We have the same idea. When fighting the Turks, we must not sacrifice our strengths for the weaknesses and be completely led by the opponent. The infantry should give full play to the advantages of the infantry and rely on the city and terrain to kill them."
Ma Hongjie continued: "Actually, we had already thought this way before Li Jiangyao sent someone to send the strategy, and we thought about it more thoroughly than he did. The reason why the army quickly captured Luonan, Danfeng and other places as soon as they conquered Wuguan The purpose of the six county towns is to form joint defense fortifications, guard Wuguan from the outside, try their best to avoid fighting on the plains with the Turks, and at the same time use the cities to consume the enemy troops."
"Including attacking Tongguan is also one of our plans." Mi Pei responded: "Tongguan is in the north and Wuguan is in the south. We have both places in our hands. The Turks can't even think about taking half a step eastward, and neither can those ghost poison soldiers. It will harm the Central Plains again."
Yan Huiqing said: "Look, Old Dong, we have made arrangements. All the way from east to west, all the way from west to east, two troops and horses attack Tongguan at the same time. Hong Jie is sitting in the post to coordinate and send troops to block the enemy's reinforcements at any time. You really don’t need to bother General Murong to take action. You go back and report to the emperor. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the Jingxiang army will definitely capture Tongguan."
Dong Tianxing stretched out his thumb and said in admiration: "You are indeed the experienced generals of Shengtang. Since the combat operations against Tongguan are all well planned, I will return to Luoyi immediately and report to the emperor."
After the banquet was over, Lao Dong declined the suggestion of Ma Hongjie and others to let him rest for one night, and set off overnight to return to Dongdu after two days of walking.
After listening to his report, Li Bing showed an expression of "I knew it was so" and smiled lightly: "It seems that they are still unwilling to betray me."
Tian Mu said sadly from the side: "Your Majesty, just as I analyzed before, the Southern Army and the Western Army are just like the Western Army, relying on self-respect and no emperor. If this continues, it will definitely become a disaster! If you don't make a plan early, The day the Turks are driven out will be the time for armed separatism and the division of the Holy Tang."
Dong Tianxing couldn't help being stunned when he heard this. He never expected that in the eyes of Li Bing, Tian Mu and others, whether it was Ma Hongjie or Li Jiangyao, these soldiers who fought against foreign enemies had become targets that needed to be guarded against.
Only Wei Zixuan said: "There is still a difference between the Southern Army and the Western Army. At least, the people under Ma Hongjie all have pure Shengtang blood. They have been civilized by the Holy Religion since childhood, and they also know etiquette and integrity. , unlike the barbarians in Western Xinjiang, they no longer know which Li character the Shengtang royal family has in their surname."
Li Bing did not comment on their words, and turned to Murong Xue: "Since the Southern Army insists on its own plan and refuses to accept your command, then just let them go ahead. Of course it is best if they can capture Tongguan. If you don’t come down, you come up again.”
Murong Xue nodded and was about to refute Wei Zixuan and the others' fallacy just now. Unexpectedly, Li Bing continued: "Murong, I have an important matter here and I need you to go there in person."
Murong Xue was a little surprised and asked curiously: "I wonder what your Majesty has to do?"
"I know that your hometown is in Jiannan, right?" Li Bing asked with a smile: "How long has it been since you went back?"
"Um...about six or seven years ago."
"I want you to go back and see your family."
Murong Xue reacted: "Are you going to welcome and escort the imperial court to move to the Eastern Capital?"
"This is just one of the tasks." Li Bing nodded slightly: "There is another more important thing that must be done by you on my behalf."
"I want to get married."
