Gao Jun was quite dissatisfied with Xiao Renyi's instigation, but he was also a supervisor sent by the imperial court. Now was the occasion, so it was not easy to get angry, so he had to endure it and replied: "We have lost troops and generals one after another, and the momentum of attacking the city is Although they are fierce, they have been unable to break the city. It seems that they have taken complete measures to defend the city. Moreover, even if we launched four waves of offensives, the flags on the top of the opponent's city are still neat and orderly; the defenders are in order; There is also a steady supply of equipment, and it is impossible to capture Lanzhou City today." Without waiting for Xiao Renyi to refute, Gao Yun immediately ordered the troops to retreat.
In the Han army's central tent, all the soldiers were drooping their heads listlessly. Xiao Renyi, sitting on the left side, had long been angry and dissatisfied. He slapped the armrest of the seat with his palm and complained: "Today I If the war was fought according to the general's wishes, why would we be in this situation now, not only losing troops and generals, but also losing a good situation. The current situation..." After speaking, he raised his head and glanced at Gao Yun on the main seat, and saw him lowering his head. There was no response, so he continued unscrupulously, "How can I, the general, report this situation to His Majesty?"
Gao Jun's generals Zhu Yun and Xu Zhen stood up at the same time and rushed in front of Xiao Renyi. One grabbed his hands and the other grabbed his collar. Zhu Yun was strong and strong, with a long beard hanging down his chest. He looked a bit polite, but when he scolded people, he was completely different. When he opened his mouth, he scolded Xiao Renyi for talking about military affairs on paper and gesticulating. If it weren't for Xiao Renyi, he would not have lost his troops. Xu Na was not good at words, but the more he listened, the angrier he became, and the strength in his hands became stronger and stronger.
Xiao Renyi's hands were pinned behind his back by Xu Zhen. The more he struggled, the more painful it became, but he refused to let go: "Marshal Gao, our family is a supervisor appointed by the Holy Spirit. You accept such rudeness... ah... "
After hearing this, Xu Ma pushed up Xiao Renyi's hands with force, causing Xiao Renyi to moan in pain.
Gao Yun knew the nature of his subordinates and wanted to show off Xiao Renyi, so he did not stop the two of them.
"Stop fooling our marshal with that trick." Zhu Yun sneered, "Don't you know that my future will be affected by your fate? If you dare to point fingers again, be careful that I sacrifice your head to Brother Zheng Huaide first."
"Let go!" Gao Yun said coldly at this time.
Xiao Renyi pushed Xu Xi away and glanced angrily at Xu and Zhu. He thought that he would impeach you after returning to the court, so he relaxed his muscles and immediately changed his face to a kind face, "Marshal Gao, what are your plans next?" what to do?"
"According to the supervisor's wishes, what should be done?" Gao Yun asked.
"According to my wishes, we should regroup and mobilize our troops to fight again tomorrow!" Xiao Renyi vowed.
Gao Yun took a deep breath, tried his best to control the anger in his heart, and said coldly: "Then let Master Xiao lead the troops to attack the city tomorrow, how about it?"
"This..." Xiao Renyi was overwhelmed by this, and his face turned red instantly. He couldn't help it, and said with a flattering smile, "Marshal Gao, you are the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. How dare a subordinate to overstep his bounds? It's up to you, marshal, to make your own decision."
An Shiqing, the general of the Pingtang bandits, wiped out all the bandits along the Yellow River in less than half a month. Liu Yan was very happy and rewarded Liu Yan with a lot of brocade, gold and silver, and even gave him a seat in the court. This treatment made hundreds of people happy. The official was also very jealous. But when the situation of the Western Expedition was discussed again in the morning, Liu Yan became embarrassed again. Unexpectedly, it had been more than a month, and there was still no progress in the Western Expedition. Not only was the Lanzhou city wall not damaged at all, but his own army also lost troops. Liu Yan greatly Out of anger, he angrily scolded Gao Yun for his incompetence in doing things. Some of Gao Jun's opponents also took the opportunity to say that Gao Jun was out of work and wanted to deliberately delay. Just when Liu Yan was furious, he calmly thought about it and knew that Gao Yun's character might not necessarily be like this. Although he had a close relationship with Lu Zuo, he would never betray the big man in the face of big right and wrong, and Considering that Lu Zuo, Liu Xingyuan and others were cunning and despicable, coupled with the impregnable Lanzhou City and the secret help of tycoons like Fan Hesui, it is no wonder that Lanzhou City could not be taken.
Liu Yan thought about it and ordered to retreat early, leaving only Xun Yu, Xun Mou and his son, and Chu Bingde, and asked them what to do with Gao Yun.
Chu Bingde said: "Gao Yun was able to be promoted to the position of marshal in just one or two years. His ability is undoubtedly beyond doubt, and the late emperor also valued him very highly. Lanzhou City will be difficult to break this time. So, In my opinion, there are three reasons."
"Old Taishan, please tell me."
"First, the rebels were well prepared, with sufficient food and grass, and the city defenses were solid. Second, our army was short of food and grass, and there was chaos soon after the new emperor ascended the throne, so that the morale of the army was unstable. This is the top priority. Third, Gao The marshal won the battle without any death wish. Of course, this was because he and the rebels had known each other for a long time, so he was in a dilemma. Today, some ministers said that he deliberately delayed, which is not entirely unreasonable."
Liu Yan lowered his head, his face as heavy as water, and then asked Xun Yu and his son what they thought.
Xun Yu and his son also expressed their agreement with Chu Bingde. Xun Mou also added: "Moreover, the rebels know very well that Gao Yun is brave and good at fighting. He has been closed in the city for a month, which is sacrificing the morale of our army."
Liu Yan made up his mind and said: "Then replace Gao Yun and let Xun Aiqing take charge personally. Then I can rest assured."
Xun Mou shook his head and said: "No. Changing the commander before the battle will only shake the morale of the army, and it will be self-defeating when the time comes."
"What do you mean by Xun Aiqing..."
"Wei Chen just feels that the word 'change' is inappropriate. Now Gao Yun's leadership will definitely be fruitless. Using him will only bring down the three armies and drain the national treasury."
The eyes of Chu Bingde and Xun Yu fell on Xun Mou in unison. Even Liu Yan stared at Xun Mou after thinking for a moment. He hesitated. Gao Yun is indeed a general. Given time, he can definitely be trained as the next one. He is a pillar like the old marshal Zhou Zhongwang, and he is also one of the candidates whom the emperor said he could rely on before he died. Now according to Xun Mou's intention, Gao Jun's head is used to sacrifice the flag. It seems that this is the best way at the moment, but Why did Xun Mou think so? And he said it so implicitly. Does he want to eliminate dissidents, or is he really working together for me? If you follow his method now, you will lose a pillar of talent, but if you refute his advice, I'm afraid he will have second thoughts.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say." Chu Bingde interrupted Liu Yan in his thoughts, "Although the treasury is currently empty and Marshal Gao has not yet captured Lanzhou City, the situation in the country is not unsolvable. The Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry They have done well in recent days and brought back some gold and silver for the treasury. This time General An has returned from defeating the invaders, and the government and the public are rejoicing. If there is news that the coach has been captured on the front line, it will only chill the soldiers of the three armies. and the hearts of the government and the public. Especially the people. As far as the old minister knows, Gao Jun has been deeply loved by the people since he pacified Dafan last year. Not only do they think he is a heroic young man, but some people regard him as the next Zhou marshal of the Han Dynasty. If Now that such a figure is taken down, how will the people and officials discuss it?"
