In the palace garden, a whole row of apricot trees were floating, with withered yellow leaves falling down. There is a bleak scene between heaven and earth, a cool breeze sweeps across, and the atmosphere is desolate and desolate. Chengdu is not too cold in early winter, at least compared to the mood of Shu Lord Meng Chang, it is much warmer.
A heater has been set up in the political palace to ward off the cold. Meng Chang, the Lord of Shu, has always been afraid of heat and cold. The atmosphere in the palace was tense and depressing, and several military and political ministers had their heads buried in silence. Including Privy Councilor Wang Zhaoyuan, who is always high-spirited, giving advice and talking endlessly.
"Why aren't you talking?" Meng Chang sat on the imperial desk and glanced at the ministers, looking indignant: "How to deal with the Han invaders? When the national crisis is approaching, is there no one to share my worries? I can't come up with anything. A charter to defend against enemies?"
Faced with the emperor's questioning, Wang Zhaoyuan, who had been in charge of military affairs, finally stood up and said with cupped hands: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have mobilized troops and horses to guard Jianmen and Jiameng. With their dangerous positions, they can keep the Han army out of the pass." !”
"Don't worry? How can I not worry when the war has gone so bad?" Meng Chang looked sulky: "Before Fengzhou was defeated, didn't you also say that Guan Qiang was blocking the road? What happened? All 60,000 to 70,000 soldiers and horses were wiped out by the Han army. !Although Jiange is dangerous, can you promise me that you can stop the Han army? Does Xingyuan Mansion just ignore it?"
Seeing Meng Chang's excitement, Wang Zhaoyuan was both ashamed and angry when faced with his accusation. Feeling that Meng Chang was completely panicked, he couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, the defeat of Fengzhou was actually due to the cunning and vicious nature of the Han army. Coupled with the long and fierce battle, the generals lost their vigilance. At present, generals such as Li Tinggui, Zhao Chongtao, and Han Baozhen have already Withdrawing from Xingyuan Prefecture, the defeated army in front and the defenders of Xingyuan, together with the 5,000 forbidden troops from the north, have built a fortress in the west city to stop the Han army!
Although the Han army won a great victory at Qinfeng, they also fought fiercely for several months. Their troops were exhausted, their horses were exhausted and the people were trapped, and they needed to rest and regroup. Now that winter has fallen, the Han army will march south again. The road is blocked and long, and the supply of food and equipment will only become more difficult. The Han army that went south to attack Xingyuan Prefecture this time did not have many troops. Therefore, when our army shrinks back to Xingyuan Prefecture, the defensive situation is better than that of Fengzhou! "
Wang Zhaoyuan's words were actually meant to calm Mengchang's heart, but they were still just words on paper. And what Meng Chang needs is just a reassurance.
"Can you withstand the Han army's attack?" Meng Chang pondered for a long time and asked, staring at Wang Zhaoyuan.
Facing the emperor's eyes, which were clearly full of hope, Wang Zhaoyuan remained silent. Privy Wang, who had always been confident and scheming, could not give Meng Chang a definite answer at this time.
After hesitating for a while, Wang Zhaoyuan seemed to have a thought in his mind of "being ordered to be in danger, to be entrusted with the defeat of the army." A touch of solemnity and determination appeared on his face, and he gritted his teeth and said to Meng Chang: "The Han army invaded in a large scale, and I will personally lead the troops and horses to the north." , Defend the enemy outside the pass!"
Wang Zhaoyuan was very convincing, but Meng Chang subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Battle of Liangquan, defeats had been reported frequently. The situation in the north was deteriorating day by day. City and territory were lost, and the Shu army retreated again and again.
The atmosphere in the Chengdu court was becoming more and more tense day by day, and for Meng Chang, it was even worse. All the princes in the dynasty were in panic, but no one could stand up and take responsibility. Now, there is finally Wang Zhaoyuan...
Sighing, Meng Chang looked around and said solemnly: "My lords, now the Northern Han Dynasty has invaded, the strong troops have invaded the pass, and the national crisis is at the forefront. The country is in danger of survival. My father and son have been in Sichuan for thirty years, and they have been kind to the people and have been exposed to foreign aggression. , I sincerely hope that everyone in the imperial court can work with one heart and one mind to deal with the outside world and overcome difficulties!"
"Yes!" The emperor said so, and all the Shu ministers responded in unison as they walked around naturally.
"Things in the north are very difficult now, but no matter how difficult it is, we should actively deal with it. If we continue to do nothing like this, I'm afraid it won't be long before the Han army comes to Chengdu!" Meng Chang looked serious and was angry.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to reorganize the troops and stabilize the morale of the army!" Wang Zhaoyuan stood up and said loudly with a look of restored ambition.
"How to stabilize the morale of the army?" Meng Chang asked.
There was a cold look in Wang Zhaoyuan's eyes, and he said: "Your Majesty used the country's elite to pay Li Tinggui. However, he lost consecutive battles and lost his troops and humiliated the country. He should be held accountable and the military law should be rectified to calm people's hearts!"
Hearing what Wang Zhaoyuan said, Meng Chang became more emotional. He couldn't help waving his hands and said sternly: "In the battle of Donghe Village two years ago, even though he was defeated, he still knew how to fight bravely to kill the enemy. My aunt thinks of his loyalty and will not make it worse." Punishment, but also the opportunity to make meritorious deeds.
This time, he had an army of 50,000, and there was no shortage of weapons, food, and pay. However, he could not defeat the enemy's army when he advanced, and could not defend the city when he retreated. He was defeated in repeated battles and attracted the Han army to invade the south.
Send an envoy north to bring Li Tinggui to Beijing to question him! "
"No!" At this time, Prime Minister Li Hao spoke up and tried to dissuade Meng Chang: "Your Majesty, now that the Northern Han army has invaded, Li Tinggui is still trying his best to build a defense line to defend against the enemy. At this time, how can we take the commander lightly? Furthermore, Qin Feng’s defeat is not entirely his fault..."
Before Li Hao finished speaking, he was interrupted by Wang Zhaoyuan: "It's ridiculous! Li Tinggui was the commander-in-chief of the army. He fought poorly and lost all the elites in Shu. Why did Prime Minister Li excuse him? Could it be that there was collusion between the inside and outside to accept him? benefit?"
Seeing that Wang Zhaoyuan actually put the fire on himself, Li Hao, an old minister, was a little angry and glared at him and said: "Li Tinggui has his own responsibility, but Privy Wang is in charge of military aircraft, in charge of the country's military affairs, dispatching troops and generals, and there are many northern guards." Under your orders. Privy Wang was planning the strategy. Didn't he have no responsibility for Qin Feng's defeat?
I heard that our army was attacked by the Privy Council on his own initiative to intercept the Han army's return route. As a result, he discovered that the army was defeated in an ambush, resulting in heavy losses in troops and the collapse of the defense line. Wasn't the Privy Council at fault in this matter? "
"You!" Seeing Li Hao criticizing him in the palace, Wang Zhaoyuan became angry in a short time: "I am in Chengdu, how can I control the war thousands of miles away, the court's decision-making, and Li Tinggui's poor execution, which ruined my strategy... "
"The fault of the plan lies with others. Is this what Privy Wang is responsible for?" Li Hao couldn't help but sarcastically said.
"That's enough!" Seeing the two of them arguing on the spot, Meng Chang became impatient: "I'm not here to listen to their quarrel! I only issued the order after my permission to attack. According to Li Qing's wishes, the blame lies with me. ?”
Facing Meng Chang's cold and testing gaze, Li Hao was slightly startled and hurriedly bowed: "I don't dare!"
But in his heart, he felt even more helpless. To this extent, Meng Chang still relied on Wang Zhaoyuan.
He took a deep breath, tried to calm down, and looked at Wang Zhaoyuan: "What's the Privy Council's plan?"
Wang Zhaoyuan also had some plans and replied: "I think that as winter comes, even if the Shu army is powerful, it will be difficult to advance against the weather. On the side of Xingyuan Mansion, we only need to hold the troops to the city gates and the mountains and rivers to defend. , dragged through this winter.
At the same time, new troops were recruited and trained domestically to make up for lost troops and ensure military strength. I plan to gather the best troops from the two Sichuan prefectures and counties this winter, adjust the defense, and recruit 50,000 new athletes! "
"The matter of recruiting new soldiers should be carried out as soon as possible!" Meng Chang immediately expressed his position.
"yes!"
The battle between Qin and Feng was too heavy for Shu's military strength. Adding the previous two battles, Meng Shu's standing army has almost completely changed over the years. At this time, no matter what the combat strength is, increasing the number is the most important thing.
"Your Majesty!" Li Hao spoke again: "Since the beginning of this war, the imperial court has mobilized millions of food and salary, and this year's two taxes have been almost used up. If we continue to go to war, I am afraid that the national treasury will not be able to support it, and the front line will still need money and food support. Recruiting so many troops and deploying civilian power will inevitably affect people's livelihood..."
"If there is no army, how can we resist the Han and defend the border? How can we let the Han army break through the border?" This time, without waiting for Wang Zhaoyuan to speak, Meng Chang himself refuted Li Hao.
The old man was a little embarrassed, hesitated a little, and said with cupped hands: "Your Majesty, the battle between Qin and Feng shows the strength of the Han army. This time, the Northern Han Dynasty has recaptured the four states, why not follow the advice of King Nanping and send envoys to fight with the Northern Han Dynasty? Let’s make peace!”
Yes, after learning about the outcome of the Qin-Feng War, the "loyal" brother of the Han Dynasty, Nanping King Gao Baorong, took the initiative to write a letter and sent it to Chengdu, suggesting that Meng Chang pay tribute to the Northern Han Dynasty to ensure peace.
After listening to Li Hao's words, Meng Chang had a cold expression on his face, as if nothing had changed, but in fact something had moved in his heart. After fighting the Han army to the end and losing successive battles, Meng Chang simply did not have the confidence and ambition.
Meng Chang didn't say anything, but Wang Zhaoyuan sneered twice and said: "The war has developed to this point, how can we give up easily? With the Han Emperor's tyranny and greed, how much price will our government have to pay before the Northern Han Dynasty will stop? Even if we bow down and kneel down. , how long can we survive to seek a truce and peace?"
"Your Majesty, although our dynasty has suffered heavy losses, its foundation is still there, and it can still fight against the Northern Han Dynasty! Only by repelling the Han army can your Majesty truly maintain peace!" Wang Zhaoyuan solemnly said to Meng Chang.
