"Have you forgotten that there is still an elite army in Shangdang that you personally led?"
When Wei Yan heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows and shook his head subconsciously:
"No, the garrison I left behind in Shangdang is to prevent the Wei thieves from Hebei from crossing the Taihang Mountains from the east. How can they be transferred here easily?"
After the prime minister died of illness, Feng was ordered to temporarily lead the Guanzhong army.
But Wei Yan, as an old man in the army, was not convinced by Feng at all.
For the sake of the overall situation, Feng had no choice but to let Wei Yan lead the army to capture Shangdang, so that both sides could simply stay out of sight and avoid getting tired of each other all day long.
Wei Yan was able to be awarded the title of Wugong County Marquis. In addition to his seniority ranking, there was another important reason:
In the Battle of Guanzhong, he indeed made a lot of contributions.
In the martial arts water confrontation, three thousand armor heads were captured.
Then he led the army to capture Shangdang.
Before the emperor moved the capital to Chang'an, he still guarded Shangdang for a period of time.
As the governor of Hedong Governor's Mansion, he stayed in Shangdang much longer than Hedong.
Because compared to being made to die by Feng Gui Wang, Feng Gui Wang's eyes and ears were everywhere in Hedong.
Wei Yan obviously prefers Shangdang who has not been fucked by Feng Guiwang.
In this dispatch, Chang'an sent a part of the Forbidden Army to take over the defense of Hedong.
The defenders responsible for staying at Shangdang were the soldiers led by Wei Yan.
Therefore, it was impossible for Wei Yan to transfer the Shangdang garrison unless he had no choice.
As if he had expected Wei Yan to say this, Guo Xun chuckled lightly, with a hint of sarcasm in his laughter:
"In that case, why don't you retreat as soon as possible? If you stay here, won't you just make people laugh?"
Hearing what Guo Xun said, Wei Yan's face darkened and he was extremely unhappy:
"Sir, what do you mean by this?"
Wei Yan had a bad personality and was about to fall out, but Guo Xun didn't care.
He just pointed southward with the fan in his hand:
"The prince led his army under the walls of Gaodu for a long time and could not advance even an inch."
"Now that the troops are being allocated again, it will be more difficult to achieve success later."
"If it had been before, it wouldn't have mattered. After all, His Majesty has said that this battle will be decided by the prince."
"But things are completely different now. How is Feng Mingwen's current actions any different from provocation?"
"Therefore, the longer the monarch stays here, the more useless and embarrassing it becomes."
"If Feng Mingwen makes contributions in Wuguan in the future..."
Speaking of this, Guo Xun glanced at Wei Yan meaningfully, "And the prince has worked hard to no avail. I wonder how the prince will deal with himself when the time comes?"
Wei Yan's face instantly turned livid!
Because Guo Xun's words reminded him of the humiliation of the past when the prime minister was there, when he wanted to lead an army but failed, while Feng Mingwen was able to build an army on his own.
Guo Xun didn't seem to see Wei Yan's face, so he continued:
"That's why I suggest that instead of humiliating yourself in the future, it is better to retreat now and save some face."
But when he saw Wei Yan standing up after clapping his eucalyptus, his face looked angry:
"Stop talking!"
When Guo Xun saw this, he kept silent. He just stood up, cupped his hands, and turned to leave.
Wei Yan saw Guo Xun's move and quickly took two steps forward to stop him:
"Sir, sir, what does this mean?"
Guo Xun sneered:
"I just don't want to stand in the eyes of the king."
If it had been anyone else, Wei Yan would have yelled loudly.
Since he only led an army to guard one side, Wei Yan knew that he would not be able to fight alone.
In addition, Guo Xun has benefited a lot from him. If he really wants to force him away, when will he find someone who can really help him again?
But when Wei Yan took a deep breath, he softened his tone and forced a smile:
"Sir, you were joking. What you just said makes sense. It's not a slip of the tongue. It's just that I couldn't control myself."
His voice became a little deeper:
"I have a rift with Feng Mingwen, and I also know that my husband has grudges against Feng Mingwen, but Fei Wenwei is right, these are personal grudges after all."
"Your Majesty's trust is more important to me, how can I depose the official for personal reasons? Therefore, it is better not to mention this matter again. As for the withdrawal of troops..."
Wei Yan was silent for a while, and then continued:
"It's definitely not possible to retreat immediately now..."
Otherwise, wouldn't it mean that Wei Yan really had to be controlled and mobilized by Feng Mingwen?
At any rate, we have to wait for some more time.
Guo Xun opened his mouth, hesitated to speak, and finally just shook his head.
Seeing Guo Xun's appearance, Wei Yan couldn't help but ask:
"Sir, do you think it's inappropriate?"
"Of course it's not appropriate," Guo Xun said, "As I said just now, the prince or prince should withdraw his troops now to show that he has put aside his personal grudges and turned to official business."
"Either we raise our troops to capture Gaodu to show the monarch's ability to lead the army and prevent Feng Mingwen from being superior to others."
"Now that the prince has made up his mind to retreat, but he wants to delay, he is just trying to save some face."
When Wei Yan heard the last sentence, his face suddenly felt as if it was being burned by fire, and his blood surged:
"gentlemen……"
"Your Majesty!" Guo Xun seemed to have made up his mind and did not let Wei Yan refute his words at all:
"The prince's desire to compete with Feng Mingwen is as bright as the bright moon in the dark night sky."
"Now the king wants to hide his true feelings, just like covering the bright moon in the sky with one hand to prevent others from seeing it. Isn't this just making people laugh?"
Guo Xun's words were like tearing off the last layer of fig leaf from Wei Yan, and like a heavy blow, they hit the deepest part of Wei Yan's heart.
Wei Yan's face had turned red, and his breathing was as heavy as a cow's breath.
There is no doubt that Guo Xun's words hit his mark.
When Zhao Yun retired from the army due to physical reasons and went to Nanxiang to recuperate and no longer led troops, Wei Yan believed that he was the first person in the army below the prime minister.
But the cruel facts gave Wei Yan a sap in the head.
It was so cruel that Wei Yan, who had always been proud, even felt a little humiliated.
Maybe Feng Mingwen is indeed very powerful, but... Prime Minister, why can't you give me a chance to prove myself like the late emperor did!
In this case, I can only look for opportunities myself.
Seeing the changing expression on Wei Yan's face, Guo Xun struck while the iron was hot:
"The prince also said just now that the reason why he did not dare to mobilize the party's officers and soldiers was just to guard against the enemy in the east of Taihang Mountain."
"But if the enemies of Yecheng are not a concern, then don't you have to worry about it?"
Wei Yan hesitated slightly.
In fact, in addition to Yecheng, Wei thieves in Hanoi can also enter Shangdang through Baixing, one of the eight passes in Taihang - this road is exactly the route that Cao Cao took back then.
But now the Han imperial army is stationed in Hedong, and he is leading the army to attack Gaodu from Shangdang.
Hedong and Shangdang each have transportation links with Zhiguan, Taihangxing and Hanoi.
Under the double pressure, Wei Yan believed that the Wei thieves in Hanoi would not dare to act rashly.
Besides, if you want to enter Shangdang from Baixing, northwest of Taihangxing, you have to pass through Huguan.
Hu Pass is so dangerous that only one or two thousand troops are enough to hold tens of thousands of enemy troops at bay.
(Note: There is a map at the end of the article)
Guo Xun saw that Wei Yan was silent, so he continued:
"If it were the past, Junhou's consideration was indeed correct."
"But now it seems that it was a little too cautious."
Wei Yan was a little confused: "What do you mean by this?"
"The governor of Jizhou was originally Sun Li. This person has served as the governor of various places and has achieved great achievements."
"He then entered the dynasty and served as minister, and later served as general, commander, and governor of Jizhou. He is a strong and courageous person who should not be underestimated."
"It's a pity that Sun Li was disliked by Cao Shuang and was eventually dismissed from office."
When Guo Xun said this, he looked at Wei Yan and emphasized his tone:
"Cao Shuang is just a dandy. He behaves based on his likes and dislikes and loses the hearts of the people. After he dismissed Sun Li, he actually appointed Huan Fan as the governor. He can be described as ignorant of people."
"Although Huan Fan was famous, he had a rough temperament, did not listen to others' advice, and often made grudges with others."
"In the early years, the envoy Chijie, the governor of Qing and Xu Zhujun, had a dispute with the governor of Xuzhou. He actually wanted to kill him, so he was dismissed from office."
"Later, I was lucky enough to have a bad reputation and was recommended as the governor of Yanzhou. However, I didn't know how to restrain myself. I was at odds with my colleagues and felt depressed."
"Such people, who serve as the governor of Jizhou, are just dolphins and dogs guarding the door. But the Supreme Party in Yecheng has dangerous mountains and dangerous waters. Why should the king be afraid of it?"
After hearing Guo Xun's analysis, Wei Yan raised his eyebrows:
"Sir, do you know Huan Fan?"
Wei Yan may indeed be regarded as a powerful general.
He was considered an important minister in the Han Dynasty.
But after all, he came from a humble background and was a member of Liu Bei. He followed Liu Bei to fight in Sichuan and had many military exploits before he was promoted to the rank of Yamen General.
He was able to guard Hanzhong because of Liu Bei's exceptional promotion - of course, facts proved that Liu Bei's vision was indeed unique.
But no matter how brave he is, no matter how important he is, interpersonal relationships will always be his biggest weakness.
Wei Yan's pride may not be a form of self-protection at times:
You don't want to be with me, and I don't want to be with you.
This attitude may not have mattered when the Han Dynasty failed to break out of Shu.
After all, Shu was only such a big place, and with the Prime Minister pressing down on it, he naturally didn't need to worry about some things.
But when he arrived in the Central Plains, where aristocratic families were everywhere, Wei Yan's lack of understanding of the intricate relationships between aristocratic families became even more amplified.
To put it bluntly, if they are not from the same circle, how can Wei Yan really understand the family?
No matter how many spies and spies are sent, they can only get rumors from the market that are not true or false.
If you want to get really useful information, you have to find a way to get into the circle.
But Wei Yan is not someone like Feng, who has so many resources to squander.
This was one of the reasons why he relied heavily on Guo Xun.
At any rate, Guo Xun could barely be considered a member of a noble family—although it was only a side branch.
More importantly, he has connections with the aristocratic families in Hedong and can get a lot of information.
At this time, when he heard Guo Xun talking about Huan Fan, he naturally wanted to ask more questions.
But when Guo Xun smiled calmly, he looked like he had everything under control:
"Your Majesty trusts me and respects me. How dare I not try my best to consider it for you?"
"Your Majesty, do you know why Sun Li was dismissed from office by Cao Shuang?"
Wei Yan shook his head: "I don't know."
Guo Xun explained unhurriedly:
"It's because of the dispute between Jizhou Qinghe Plain and Qinghe Plain. Cao Shuang favored Qinghe, but Sun Li assigned the boundary to Qinghe Plain."
"So he angered Cao Shuang. In a rage, he found a crime and demoted Sun Li to a commoner. He then took the opportunity to make his countryman Huan Fan serve as the governor of Jizhou."
"The two counties of Jizhou seemed to be fighting over boundaries, but in fact they involved a dispute between large clans. Therefore, three governors could not resolve it."
"When it was Huan Fan's turn, he was already the fourth. Huan Fan is already rude and rude. How can he solve this matter? I'm afraid things will become more and more complicated."
"But if we don't resolve the dispute between the two places, how can we pacify the place? If we can't pacify the place, how can we get the support of the big clans?"
"Without the support of the powerful clans, would Huan Fan'an have enough energy to peek west of Taihang?"
When Wei Yan heard these words, he couldn't help but feel that it was an eye-opener:
"I didn't expect that there would be such an inside story in the land of Jizhou, the Wei thief."
But think about it, if it's not a wealthy and powerful family, who has the ability to make several governors afraid to draw conclusions?
Thinking about the big man again, Wei Yan couldn't help but sigh:
"Although I am at odds with Feng Mingwen, I have to say that this son's methods are amazing, and he can actually make those wealthy people obey him..."
It's okay that he didn't say this. As soon as he said this, Guo Xun, who was originally calm and calm, suddenly turned dark!
Isn’t that right?
Those who don't obey will either have their family destroyed or their family ruined, or at the worst, their family fortune will be ruined.
Who dares to disobey?
Wei Yan didn't notice Guo Xun's expression. After sighing, he asked again:
"May I ask, sir, are these things serious? How did you find out about them?"
Guo Xun adjusted his mood and explained:
"The prince knows that Xun is an in-law who came from Liangzhou to seek refuge in Hedong."
"Although my in-laws are not as good as those wealthy families, they still have some relationship with the Pei family."
"Although Duke Pei is the general of the Han Dynasty who controls the north (that is, Pei Xiu's father Pei Qian), he has a young brother, Pei Hui, who is still in Wei."
"This information was obtained from the Pei family."
Because of the relationship between Pei Qian and Pei Xiu, the Pei clan is now Feng's dog in Hedong.
It was naturally impossible for Wei Yan to deal with Pei.
If these things are really what Guo Xun learned from Pei, then they are probably true.
Wei Yan looked thoughtful, and after a long time, he said hesitantly:
"Having said that, Shangdang is still an important place, so we have to be careful."
Guo Xun clicked his tongue:
"Why don't you know how to adapt to the situation? The soldiers of the Shangdang are the elite soldiers that you trust most."
"Without these soldiers, it will be difficult for the prince to capture Gaodu. As for Shangdang, if the prince is worried, he can recruit more county soldiers."
Wei Yan never thought of capturing Gaodu from the beginning, so now a considerable number of soldiers under Gaodu City are former Liangzhou Army soldiers.
As for the part led by Jiang Wei, it has a deep connection with the Liangzhou Army.
It's not that these soldiers don't obey the general's orders, but that Feng's imprint on them is too deep, which is somewhat incompatible with Wei Yan's command style.
Without getting used to it, Wei Yan would not be able to command with ease.
Most of the soldiers who allowed Wei Yan to command with confidence stayed behind at Shangdang.
Therefore, Guo Xun's suggestion to transfer Shangdang's defenders was not an unwarranted mistake.
"Although the county soldiers cannot compare with the elite soldiers, it is enough to let them defend according to the danger."
"Besides, to the north of Shangdang, there is Taiyuan, an important county in Bingzhou. Even if Huan Fan dares to lead his troops to invade, does Taiyuan still dare to stand idly by?"
Speaking of this, Guo Xun lowered his voice:
"Deng Bomiao (Deng Zhi), the governor of Bingzhou, had a good relationship with Feng Mingwen, and Feng Mingwen also supported Bingzhou a lot."
"There have long been rumors that Feng Mingwen had promised to invest millions in Bingzhou, which shows the deep friendship between the two!"
"Feng Mingwen forced the prince to help defend Tongguan, so the prince forced Deng Bomiao to help defend the Shangdang. It was just that he used his own methods to repay the enemy."
Using his way, will he also apply it to his body?
Wei Yan, who was still hesitating, immediately became energetic when he heard Guo Xun's words!
He is an impulsive and adventurous person, otherwise he would not always think about leading an army alone to meet the Prime Minister in Tongguan.
"I Have a Picture Book of Ghosts and Gods"
After hearing Guo Xun explain the pros and cons in detail, how could he not be moved?
Facing a boss like Wei Yan who had all his emotions written on his face, Guo Xun had already understood this.
But I saw him holding up his hands and asking for orders:
"If you are still worried, you can go to Shangdang in person to see if you can find some connections and ask the local virtuous people of Shangdang to contribute some money and food. You can also recruit more county soldiers to prevent the east."
Seeing that Guo Xundu had volunteered, Wei Yan was inspired by this and knew he could no longer hesitate. He gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind:
"In this case, we must act according to Mr.'s words."
