Looking at the mountains and rivers

Balieyan showed an offended look: "What do you mean by that?"

Wei Changxuan shook his head: "General Yuchi previously said that I was a little impetuous in this expedition, but now it seems that General Balie is a little more impetuous than me. Ashina Nur is very good at luring the enemy, so in this There are not a few people under him who have been defeated. General Balie has been leading troops for many years, so he should be well aware of this. But this time, the reason for his retreat was so strange, General Balie refused to think carefully, and was only eager to catch up. He really wanted to Desire to win." When he said this, he changed the subject, "General Ba Lie, you are so eager to end this battle, isn't it because Duke Tuoba's body can no longer hold up and it is difficult to manage the overall situation?"

"You!" Ba Lieyan was already annoyed, but he couldn't say anything to scold him for a long time, and just stared at Wei Changxuan.

Seeing him like this, Yu Chifeng also panicked: "General Balie, is Wei Changxuan's conjecture true, that Duke Tuoba didn't recover from his illness that day, but was it just a cover-up to support his illness?"

Balieyan let out a breath from his nostrils: "Mr. Tuoba is in good health!" Although he said that, his confidence seemed lacking, and he sat down on the chair with a little weakness, "This battle cannot be delayed, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous .”

Wei Changxuan took a step forward: "General Balie, I have something to say, I don't know if I should say it or not."

Ba Lieyan gave him a gloomy look: "General Wei was appointed by the court and is not under the jurisdiction of this general. If you have anything to say, just speak up, why bother to ask."

Wei Changxuan nodded and said: "General Ba Lie is a straightforward person, so I will be straightforward. The general should know that most of Dazhao's troops are now distributed in the feudal towns, and are held in the hands of the various envoys. The emperor can personally dispatch troops. It’s just the Imperial Army. The 7 troops I brought this time are all the elite Imperial Army. For the court, they are really a hard-working army. But on the eve of my expedition, the emperor personally told me that this expedition , Be sure to guard the Panmen Pass, even if you fight to the last soldier, you must not let the Panmen Pass, and even the Liangzhou line of Ganzhou fall into the hands of the Yanyu people. Just this sentence, you can see the land of Hexi The weight in the emperor's heart. After all, Hexi is the northwest gate of Dazhao. If it is lost, Yanyu's iron hooves can go south in an instant, and go straight to the capital Jian'an." He paused, "I know that General Balie is from the Donghu, and he is from the Central Plains in his heart. The imperial court controlled by it is quite disapproving, let alone me, a foreigner, but our purpose now is the same. This is Hexi, not only the northwest gateway of Dazhao, but also the hometown of you Donghu people. It is you The land that has been guarded for generations. Although we are not of the same race, nor were we in the past, but in this battle, I want to ask General Balie to be honest with me. Only in this way can General Balie guard this land for Duke Tuoba , and I can also complete the mission, so that Yan Yu will not shake Dazhao Guozuo."

Balieyan stared at him, the gloom in his eyes dissipated slightly, he snorted softly: "What does it mean to be honest?"

Wei Changxuan reached into his arms, and put the heavy iron seal on the case: "This is the general seal for this expedition. It can dispatch all my soldiers and horses. I will offer it at this moment. From today onwards, all wars at Panmenguan will be completed." , all obey the orders of General Balie."

Balieyan's expression moved slightly, he looked down at the dark general seal, looking thoughtful.

"There is one more thing that needs to be confessed to General Balie," Wei Changxuan straightened his clothes, leaned over and said, "The recovery of Panmen Pass and Ganzhou City this time is all because of my blood alliance with Prince Ashina of Yanyu. The city was actually handed over to me."

Balieyan was startled suddenly: "What did you say?"

Yu Chifeng at the side thought it was not good, hurriedly shouted in a low voice: "Wei Changxuan!"

Wei Changxuan turned a deaf ear to it, and said in one breath: "Last year in the battle of Yunxia Pass, I was captured by Ashina Jilian by mistake, and was later released by him. This meeting is the second time we have met."

Ba Lieyan asked in a deep voice: "Ashina Zhilian is from Yanyu, why did he show mercy to you again and again, and even let you close the door. Are you friends with him?"

Wei Changxuan shook his head: "My relationship with him is not a friend, but an enemy of an enemy. Our alliance this time is to get rid of our common enemy, Ashinanur."

Balieyan looked at him silently for a moment, then said in a low voice: "There has always been a rift between the eldest prince of Yanyu and the right general. I have heard about this incident, but do you know that your private alliance is a violation of court law?" The big taboo is a death penalty."

"General Ba Lie!" Yu Chifeng hurried forward, knelt down beside Wei Changxuan and said, "Wei Changxuan made this terrible plan, but he was only for Dazhao, for this battle."

Ba Lieyan's face was cloudy and uncertain, but he just looked at Wei Changxuan: "You are a bit interesting, you know that I don't like you, but you dare to tell the whole thing. You are not afraid that I will report to you right now. The imperial court, is it an unforgivable crime to say that you know foreign countries?"

Wei Changxuan was not flustered, he just shook his head and smiled, "I said just now that you must be honest with General Balie, if you conceal this matter, how can you be considered honest?"

Ba Lieyan was startled, then turned his back: "Everyone is fighting for this, let's sit down and talk."

Hearing what he said, Yu Chifeng heaved a sigh of relief, and returned to his seat with Wei Changxuan, but Ba Lieyan said again: "There is something that I would like to ask."

"General Balie, please tell me."

"Previously Panmenguan was lost, whether it was our Donghu defenders or the reinforcements from your capital. However, now that Panmenguan has been recovered and Dazhao has not lost an inch of land, even if you have no rewards after you return to the court, you will not He was punished. In that case, does General Wei think that we might as well close the door and refuse the battle, stick to it, and drag this battle over.”

Wei Changxuan smiled wryly twice: "General Ba Lie, do you really think that if the Pan Gate is lost and recovered, we will be considered useless? Have you forgotten one thing? The city of Zhou was slaughtered overnight by the people of Yan and Yu, and the city was captured. We can take it back, but people who die can never be brought back to life. As soldiers of Dazhao, we let foreigners slaughter the people of our city. From this point of view, we have already lost this battle.”

"You say we've already lost?"

Wei Changxuan nodded: "Yes, if we want to save this battle, there is only one way." He pointed to the direction of Yanyu's army on the map, "Defeated the main force of Yanyu and killed the main general Ashinanur. He ordered the massacre of the city." The chief culprit, if he does not die, we will not be able to restore the emperor's life, let alone reassure the people."

Ba Lieyan was silent for a long time, and suddenly said: "Okay! If you can say such a thing, I will believe you once." He stretched out his right palm to Wei Changxuan, wanting to swear by high-fiving him according to Donghu's custom.

Wei Changxuan looked at his right hand, but he was not in a hurry to reach out: "Since General Balie is willing to trust me, I wonder if he can be more honest with me."

Balieyan narrowed his eyes slightly: "What do you want to know?"

"General Balie only brought 10 people here this time, and some of them were the Anyang reinforcements under General Yuchi. The Donghu army in Hexi should be far more than that. From this point of view, the Donghu guards are all supporting their own strength. , I guess, they are waiting to see who will be the successor of the Tuoba family. The general said just now that this battle cannot be delayed, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous. Then, what is the health of Lord Tuoba, and what is the situation in Liangzhou City? , please tell me the truth.”

After hearing his question, Balieyan's cold side face gradually showed a trace of depression: "Your guess is correct, Duke Tuoba's body is already at the end of his strength, he summoned everyone with a thunder drum that day, and ordered to hold his hand Saber beheaded the rebels. Although this action frightened everyone, it also took his last strength. When I left Liangzhou with my troops, he had been in a coma for three days and three nights." He sat on the chair, With a long sigh, "General Wei may not be very clear about the affairs of the big families of Donghu, and Major General Yuchi is a junior, so he doesn't know much. Since it is about being honest with each other, then I will tell you these old things listen."

Wei Changxuan and Yu Chifeng naturally held their breath and pretended to be listening attentively.

"Our Donghu clan was still a foreign clan in the previous dynasty, and the leader was the Tuoba clan. At that time, our relationship with Yanyu was closer than that of the Central Plains. Later, the emperor Gaozu of this dynasty won over our Donghu clan, married Queen Tuoba, and gave birth to Taizong Emperor, you all know these things. In addition to the Tuoba family in the first row, the Donghu family has eight surnames such as the Dugu family, the Yuchi family, and the He Ruo family. We Donghu people have served for generations. The Tuoba family lineage, but now the Tuoba family's bloodline is weak, Tuoba is old, and still has not chosen a successor. The current civil strife in Donghu is caused by the Tuoba family's head."

Wei Changxuan didn't know much about Donghu's customs, so he couldn't help asking: "Although Duke Tuoba's heirs are few, the Tuoba clan is so huge, can't it be possible to choose a suitable person from the branch family to succeed the patriarch?"

Ba Lieyan sneered and shook his head: "The Tuoba clan has many families, but they are also divided into relatives and distant relatives. For example, Tuoba Xian, who rebelled, although his surname is also Tuoba, can only be regarded as the general of Duke Tuoba's family, and he is the successor to the head of the family. It's also hard to convince the public. Besides, Duke Tuoba has only a few heirs, not no heirs."

Wei Changxuan was startled: "You mean..." He coughed lightly, "You mean King Mu?"

Yu Chifeng heard his doubts and explained: "The rules of our Donghu are different from those of the Central Plains. The grandson's line can also inherit the family business. His Royal Highness King Mu was originally a blind and weak son who was not valued, but now he is a prince. It stands to reason He should be the successor of the Patriarch."

"But as a member of the Yang clan, King Mu cannot change his surname to Tuoba even if he becomes your young master. Isn't this Tuoba clan unsustainable in the future?"

Ba Lieyan waved his hand: "You are so young, why are you so stubborn. King Mu will have an heir in the future, no matter which son he wants to pass on the title of Patriarch Tuoba to, just let that child change back to Tuoba's surname. "After he finished speaking, he frowned with some annoyance, "I just hate that the rift between the court and Donghu has already arisen. Most of the nobles of the eight surnames of Donghu are against letting Tuoba Gong's grandson succeed the Patriarch. If not, Tuoba How could my father be poisoned by a villain?"

Wei Changxuan couldn't hear what he said after that, since he just heard the phrase "King Mu will have heirs in the future", he was at a loss for a while.Only then did he realize where the faint anxiety in his heart came from after Yang Yan succeeded to the throne.Yang Yan is no longer the little prince trapped in the corner courtyard that no one cares about. He is the King Mu of Dazhao and the young master of Donghu.How could he not marry a wife and start a family, and not reproduce.Thinking of this, Wei Changxuan's hands trembled unconsciously.He still remembers many nights from childhood to adulthood, Yang Yan slept peacefully in his arms, like a white and soft lamb.But in the future, will there be another person sleeping next to him, gently stroking the top of his hair?

"Wei Changxuan," Yu Chifeng saw that his eyes were empty, and couldn't help pushing him quietly, "What's wrong with you?"

Wei Changxuan came back to his senses in a daze, hurriedly coughed as if to cover up, and then asked hesitantly: "Could it be that Duke Tuoba really intends to hand over the position of Patriarch to King Mu?"

Ba Lieyan shook his head: "Mr. Tuoba has never mentioned this matter, and we dare not ask. It's just that besides King Mu, there is no suitable candidate for the head of the Tuoba family. The only one left in the line of Mr. Tuoba's elder brother is A granddaughter, married to the Dugu family, and died of illness the year before last. At this time, some people couldn't help but feel dissatisfied, and the one who bore the brunt was that Tuobaxian." He explained, "Tuobaxian's father is called Tuoba Rui , but an honest and loyal old general who passed away a few years ago. Since he took over the military power from his father, his ambitions have grown bigger and bigger, because his eldest sister was the first concubine of the former Mu Wang Yang Ye, and his nephew was originally a concubine. He once succeeded to the throne, but unfortunately he was later convicted and imprisoned."

Wei Changxuan was slightly startled: "It turns out that Tuobaxian is Yang Dai's uncle, so is this person the chief culprit for poisoning Lord Tuoba?"

Yu Chifeng nodded at the side: "Although there is no proof, Duke Tuoba did have a stroke after drinking the deer blood wine he offered."

Wei Changxuan couldn't help but sighed in his heart, thinking that Tuobaxian was exactly the same as Yang Dai, using these insidious methods, he pondered: "Since he dared to poison, there must be more sinister tricks."

Ba Lieyan said coldly: "That's right, he took advantage of Duke Tuoba's serious illness and sent his Hu people to guard Tuoba Gong's mansion under the pretext of protecting Tuoba's public security. He wanted to take the opportunity to break into the mansion. Fortunately, Lord Tuoba was on guard and made a decisive decision to kill him. His death was to serve as an example to others, and to make the rest of the family calmer, so it was a well-deserved death."

Yu Chifeng also said: "The situation was very critical that day. Fortunately, General Balie arrived in time, and later the nobles of the eight surnames also arrived one after another, so there was no catastrophe." After he finished speaking, he whispered to Wei Changxuan Said, "Perhaps you don't know yet, Tuobaxian and General Balie are still relatives, and the general is also righteously exterminating relatives."

Balieyan snorted heavily: "What kind of relatives, I will never forgive anyone who dares to be unfavorable to Lord Tuoba." He slapped the table and stood up abruptly, "This time, the matter of succeeding Patriarch It's the same, no matter who Lord Tuoba prefers to hand over the patriarchal decree, I will be the first to regard him as the master, whoever dares to object, ask the wolf-slaying knife in my hand!"

After he finished speaking, he turned his head to look at the two young juniors behind him, and said in a low voice: "Now you know why I rushed to send troops. Duke Tuoba's life is in danger now. If we can't end this battle as soon as possible, once Duke Tuoba If he dies, not only will the battle situation be affected, but the situation within the Donghu tribe will also get out of control, and the consequences will be disastrous."

"I understand," Wei Changxuan said solemnly, "it's just that it's still not suitable to fight right now."

Ba Lieyan narrowed his eyes: "Are you still waiting for Ashina Zhilian to send you a letter?" He sneered, "Nowadays, the rules on the grassland are not as good as they used to be, and there are many people who betray the blood alliance, so don't take it too seriously." .”

"I'm not waiting for the news of Ashina's thorns, but I'm waiting for a battle opportunity." Wei Changxuan whispered, "As General Balie said before, for the people of Yanyu, spring and summer are by no means When it was a good time to mobilize troops, they were as reluctant to delay the battle as we were. Ashinanur’s pretense of withdrawing troops was probably to lure our army to go deep. Now our combined forces are no match for him, even if we try our best to fight There is absolutely no chance of winning, if you chase at this time, I'm afraid it will fall into his hands."

Ba Lieyan did not deny his speculation, but said: "Then what do you want?"

"General, please wait another ten days."

"Ten days?" Balieyan looked at him, "After ten days, are you sure you can control the situation?"