Linzhi

To the south of Yunzhou and to the north of Jinzhou, there is a land called Daizhou.

Here is Yanmen Pass, the head of the Nine Fortresses. It is also an important border defense town in the past dynasties. Although it is definitely not as prosperous as Jiangnan, there are many Buddhist believers here, and believers donate money to the temple to build the Ashoka Pagoda. Young and old come out of the city, not only those who offer incense and worship Buddha, but also go to the market to buy, which is very lively.

However, since the Turks broke into the city, Daizhou has become an empty dead place. The Turks don’t have to spare their property and lives for the Central Plains people. At that time, the city was massacred and burned, and today's Daizhou is nothing more than repeating the fate of Yunzhou that day.

After the governor of Daizhou was killed, the Turks grandiosely occupied the governor's mansion and used it as a temporary royal court for Fu Nian to stay in. And this khan who ruled the Turks at a young age was sitting on behalf of the governor not long ago. The head of the governor of the state looked at the Turkic soldiers who came in to deliver the letter.

Although the Turks and the Central Plains are old enemies, the Turks have been harassing the border all the time, just for some winter property. They can harass the border every year, but they have little interest in capturing the towns and cities of the Central Plains and taking control of the Central Plains.

The reason is that the Turkic people have long been accustomed to the nomadic grasslands and live in no fixed place. They are incompatible with the settled habits of the Central Plains people, who are men farming and women weaving.Secondly, the battle line was stretched too long, and it was inevitable that the rear would catch fire. The Turks had always had constant internal strife, and no Turkic leader dared to leave the royal court for more than three months, otherwise his wolf-like brothers and courtiers would be enough to overthrow him.

But Fu Nian was different. He not only killed all the brothers and sisters who competed with him, but also merged the Eastern and Western Turks, doing something that previous generations of khans failed to do. Dare to oppose him, but this way entered the Central Plains, plundered countless property, enough food and horse fat, all the Turks praised and worshiped him, and Fu Nian's prestige reached an unprecedented peak because of this.

In addition to the fact that the battle line is too long, the journey back and forth to Turkic is far away. Turkic people have heavy pockets and countless treasures. They wish to follow the Khan to capture a few more cities and completely beat the Central Plains people. There will be no need to send troops every year in the future. , just obediently and automatically pay the tribute.

But Fu Nian wanted more than that.

"Khan, someone from Chang'an." The soldier handed over the letter.

"Bring people in." Fu Nian said.

The soldiers led away, and after a while, they brought in a middle-aged scribe with three long beards fluttering down, who looked like a refined teacher at first glance.But Turkic people are not used to appreciating this style, so Fu Nian even squinted his eyes to identify it carefully.

"Are you Mr. He who came back last time?"

"If you return to Dahan, it's right here." Then Mr. He cupped his hands.

Fu Nian frowned: "Why did you have a white face and no beard last time, but you have long beards this time?"

Mr. He said with a smile: "I came here on the orders of my master. Only Da Khan knows about this matter. To avoid suspicion, I naturally have to cover up one or two things. It will inevitably be troublesome to be recognized."

Fu Nian smirked inwardly, the Central Plains people's intestines are twisted and twisted, if they were mostly used to defend against foreign enemies, they wouldn't be beaten to Daizhou now.He didn't bother to care about how many beards or beards the other party had, so he said, "What message did your master send this time?"

Mr. He said: "The master said that Chen Wei has been ordered by the emperor to leave Ganzhou. If Da Khan wants Xiao Yu to do it, the opportunity is at hand. The master also said that Chen Wei always likes to use tricks to confuse the enemy. , although others have left, they will definitely leave the commander-in-chief flag on the tower, so that Xiao Yu can rest assured that there is no need to worry about it. Now there are only [-] soldiers and horses left in Zhangye City. He Xiao Yu is recharging his energy in Liangzhou. For many years, a mere Ganzhou should be a no-brainer."

Mr. He knew about the covenant between Turkic and Xiao Yu. After all, Xiao Yu married Fu Nian's younger sister, but he absolutely did not believe that the Turkic Khan in front of him invaded the Central Plains just to help his sister-in-law become the Central Plains emperor.

Everyone has ambition, but the throne is for those who are capable, and it depends on who can win in the end.

As far as the owner is concerned, the more chaotic the situation is, the better. Only in muddy water can fish be fished. If it is not chaotic, it is not chaotic enough.

In the not-too-distant future, wars will break out everywhere, and the warlords will divide their regimes. This situation is already foreseeable.

Fu Nian really showed joy: "It seems that your master still has some reliable news. I will thank him face to face when I arrive in Chang'an!"

Mr. He bowed and saluted with a smile, his heart secretly sneered, so he said goodbye and left.

Looking at his leaving figure, Fu Nian couldn't help but sneer.

"Great Khan, even without him, our iron cavalry can still crush their rivers and mountains, so why cooperate with such a person?" said a trusted official who followed him to the expedition.

Fu Nian rubbed his chin: "People from the Central Plains have always had a lot of flirtatious things. If he wants to seek to usurp the throne, I will fulfill him. I just don't know how he will react when he arrives at the city of Chang'an in the future?"

The confidant hesitated and said: "Khan is a hero, Chang'an is at your fingertips, but we have never fought so far. Seeing that we have entered the hinterland of the Central Plains, if those Central Plains people join hands, I am afraid that we will suffer. Should we shrink the battle line... ..."

Fu Nian waved his hand: "Chen Wei is my mortal enemy of the Turks. I must compete with him. If I don't chop off his head and give it to the Emperor of the Central Plains, I will make this trip in vain. Now the Central Plains court looks powerful. , but it’s just a paper tiger, and it’s falling apart right before our eyes. Our Turkic cavalry, Lian Keyunzhou, Daizhou, Jinzhou, and Chang’an, will be captured by us sooner or later, when the time comes..."

There was a sneer on the corner of his mouth, not only was there a strong smell of blood, but his eyes were even more sinister and ghostly.

"I also want to taste what it's like to sit in the Chang'an Longting, to see how attractive that position is, attracting one or two of these people, like vultures who have seen fat, and they will jump on it no matter what. "

……

Just half a month after Fu Nian finished speaking, the Turkic army left Daizhou, which had been plundered, and continued southward, heading straight for Jinzhou.

Before that, the imperial court had already shrunk the battle line, and concentrated all the troops from Beidu and Luzhou to Jinzhou. Together with the 12 soldiers brought by Chen Wei and the 40 imperial troops transferred by the imperial court, there were a total of [-] soldiers and horses. , Fight to the death with [-] Turkic cavalry.

At the same time, Xiao Yu of Liang State took advantage of the emptiness of Ganzhou and sent troops to attack Ganzhou.

When the news reached Lingzhou, everyone was inexplicably shocked, not only by the action of the Turkic cavalry, but also by Xiao Yu's taking advantage of the fire to loot.

He Rong, who was on the military parade at the school grounds, hurried back to Dudu's Mansion after hearing the news. Facing Princess Zhending, Xue Tan, Yu Feng, and even Sang Lin and others with different expressions of anxiety, shock and worry, only four words came to mind.

Chang'an is over.

Many people in the court hoped for the prestige of Chen Wei as a famous general, thinking that Chen Wei was omnipotent, even if he could win more with less, he could defeat the enemy.

In the history books of military strategists, there have been battles in which fewer were able to win more, but it also required the right time, place and people. Chen Wei's 12 troops looked like a lot, but in fact they were pieced together, and perhaps only the The 40 troops he brought from Ganzhou faced [-] Turkic cavalry, what are the chances of winning?

In terms of knowledge of soldiers, He Rong asked himself that he was inferior to He Zhan, but he has been in and out of the battlefield several times, and he is currently guarding the border towns. Not to mention, he has read a lot of military books and participated in a lot of exercises. Looking at it horizontally or vertically, Chen Wei doesn't need it. The grasp of victory.

Chen Wei may not understand this point in his heart, but the emperor's order is hard to disobey, and the court is up and down. Now, there may be no one who can fight the Turkic people except him, but there is no one like Chen Wei, who is as impressive as Chen Wei. Don't worry, even Emperor Jiayou himself has 12 expectations of Chen Wei.

The burden and pressure on Chen Wei can be imagined.

This time he went, I'm afraid he had already made up his mind to die.

Going to the country alone in calamity, and repaying the king with his death.

How did it come to this point?

He Rong and Chen Wei were strangers, but it didn't prevent him from perceiving each other's thoughts. A general who is dedicated to fighting, knows the strength of the enemy and himself well. He knows that there is a cliff ahead, but he has to walk over it step by step and jump off.

With the situation at such a level, even if He Rong was in the court, he could not prevent Chen Wei from going against the Turks.

It's just that the heart is inevitably desolate, and some rabbits and foxes sigh sadly.

Once Chen Wei can't resist the Turkic offensive, it will only be a matter of time before Chang'an falls.

He Rong sat deeply, his thoughts were confused, he didn't say a word, and let Xue Tan and others discuss the countermeasures.

Xue Tan said: "For today's plan, we have three strategies. The best strategy is to stick to Lingzhou and preserve our strength. Right now Xiaoyu is fighting Ganzhou, and the Turks are fighting Jinzhou. No one will care about it for a while. Lingzhou. It is very unlikely that Ganzhou will be able to defend now, but it can also consume Xiao Yu's troops. When he finishes fighting Ganzhou and goes south, we will block it again, so that we can be more sure of annihilating Xiao Yu."

Although Lingzhou is now training troops day and night, they dare not slack off, but their family members know their own affairs, now Turkic and Xiao Yu are marching in two ways, and the government has repeatedly made mistakes in decision-making, everyone really dare not bet all their chips on the imperial edict.

In fact, Princess Zhending also agreed with Xue Tan's opinion, but she glanced at He Rong and asked, "Then what about the middle and worst strategies?"

Xue Tan said: "The middle strategy is what I said just now, to reinforce Ganzhou and fight against Ganzhou together, but Xiao Yu raised the banner of rebellion when the late emperor was in power, and kept his strength in hiding for more than ten years. His strength should not be underestimated. A tough fight..."

He Rong suddenly said, "I'm going to Chang'an."

Xue Tan didn't change his face: "This is the worst strategy I said. Chen Wei has little chance of winning this battle. Chang'an is about to be exposed to the Turkic people, but even if you bring people to help, Chang'an may not be able to defend it. On the contrary, All these forces that we have painstakingly managed will be taken in."

He Rong closed his eyes: "I know, but His Majesty is still in Chang'an, and if Chang'an is lost, the world will be in chaos. I can't just watch the Turks' iron hooves enter Chang'an without fear."

Princess Zhending said in a deep voice: "Sanlang, Yu Shen is right. Now it's not about whether you can be saved, but whether you can be saved! Don't you have the heart to watch Sang Lin, Lin Miao, and those soldiers accompany you to die? !"

He Rong clenched his fists and took a deep breath: "You don't have to go, stay here, I will take [-] soldiers and horses to help Chen Wei, if I can't make it in time, I will go straight to the capital, Chang'an still has the imperial army, so I won't be able to return Retreating before the attack, I am ambushing from behind, it is not completely impossible to win."

Princess Zhending looked at him with a look of pity, and she sighed.

"Sanlang, I know you have deep feelings in your heart, and you don't want to put your father and brother in danger, and want to rescue them with all your strength, but have you ever thought that if no one in the court informs the Turks and Xiao Yu, their marching speed How could it be so fast? Maybe the other party has already urged His Majesty to move the capital. You and I both know that Chen Wei is just the last line of defense in front of the Turkic people. People devour it. Without you, what is the point of everything we are working hard now?"

He Rong said lightly: "There is Wulang in Lingnan, with him, the power of this world will not be exhausted. If I don't return within two months, and Lingzhou can't hold it, you take the people and retreat south. Go to Shuzhong first, and then try to contact Wulang, there is always a way out."

When he got up, he ignored everyone's opinions, refused to listen any longer, and walked outside.

As he walked, he told Lin Miao, "You and I will go to the North City Barracks now to count the soldiers and horses. I want to..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard an exclamation from Princess Zhending next to him. Before he had time to turn around, he felt a pain in the back of his neck, his vision was completely dark, and he was unconscious.

Sang Lin took his limp body, embraced him in his arms, and looked at Xue Tan at a loss.

It was just after receiving Xue Tan's hint that he directly attacked and knocked He Rong unconscious.

Xue Tan glanced at He Rong's black eyes, and felt pity in his heart.

He knew that He Rong hadn't slept well these days, and spent all his time thinking about it at night. He raised a lamp to inspect the terrain and battle situation, wrote analysis of the battle situation, and wrote memorials to persuade him.But this imperial court, from the inside out, is not in harmony with the hearts of the people, and it is frozen three feet.At the very least, without strong medicine, it is impossible to turn the tide.

Xue Tan has been planning for He Rong wholeheartedly since he was loyal to He Rong. The current situation is both a crisis and an opportunity. Xue Tan understands the contradictions and pains in his heart, but he can't just sit back and watch the other party go into a dangerous situation and go to a situation where life and death are uncertain .

This is different from the time when He Rong went to the Western Turks. At that time, He Rong only represented himself. If he won, he would rise to the top, and if he lost, he would just die.

But now, behind He Rong are countless people who have high expectations for him.

For these people, but also for the world...

"Let me be the villain." Xue Tan said.

Compared with Sang Lin's confused face, Princess Zhending obviously understood Xue Tan's intentions, she sighed and asked Sang Lin to carry He Rong back to the room to rest.

"It's hard for you. If he wakes up and blames you, I will bear it with you."