Promotion Letter for the Chief Executive

In fact, the situation was even worse than Feng Yutang expected.

The army that crossed the three-way army from the gap in the middle, went back to the rear, and went straight to the defense line of Dachu was not the only one he encountered.

Da Chu had planned everything, and the people of Xirong had already made preparations.Almost all the power of the whole country was gathered, and all the troops were mobilized into this war.Before standing still, it was just to lure the enemy to go deep.After the three-way army entered the grassland and was dragged in again, the convenience seemed very empty.In the eyes of Xirong people, it is a place that can be plundered wantonly.

And these small troops of thousands of people approached Da Chu's defense line from different places.

Although the people Feng Yutang sent to deliver the message were in a hurry, by the time the news reached Xinzhou, the cavalry of the Xirong people had already arrived, and there was no time to react, and all the weak points of the defense began to be violently attacked.

The few people left behind couldn't stop the Xirong people at all, but within a few days, the entire northwest defense line was almost completely defeated, and the Xirong people drove straight in, lighting up their weapons against ordinary people!

Although the governor of the Northwest responded quickly enough, he ordered the transfer of people outside the city.But this work takes a lot of time after all, so most of the places have not had time to implement it, and the Xirong people have already arrived.

Because it is a small force, it is obviously unrealistic to attack the city.So they only plundered the villages outside the city, and after grabbing enough things, they went around the city and continued to walk in.

In this way, because the mobility is too strong, Da Chu can't react at all.By the time the army was assembled to stop them, they had already bypassed this place and went to the back.I dare not chase after him, who knows if there will be someone coming from behind?

Although Ping'an is in Qinzhou, he is most concerned about the war.After receiving the news, he ordered people to pay close attention.After all, the Xirong people broke into the hinterland of Dachu, so the loss is difficult to calculate.

A steady stream of bad news gathered in Ping An's hands. Today, this place was robbed, and tomorrow, the figure of the Xirong people was found there... It's really frustrating.But even so, Ping An still saw some clues from it.

The Xirong people were probably prepared, and they were not caught off guard like Da Chu expected.That being the case, they deliberately showed weakness and lured the enemy to go deep. The goal must not be just to let these small groups of troops plunder.There must be other plans.

Judging from the course of action of these small groups of troops, they are all gathering in the direction of Xinzhou.

As far as Ping An's current strength is known, it may be around [-].It doesn't look like much when scattered, but gathered together, it will become a terrifying force.And Ping An guessed that their goal was probably to break through Xinzhou City!

The reason for choosing this place is that there is more food hidden in the high wall, not to mention the rich people's homes, but the government's granary alone can make the Xirong people return home with a full load.Furthermore, Xinzhou City is where the southwestern governor Xingyuan is located. If it can be breached, or even a few officials from the Great Chu are captured, even if Xinzhou cannot be occupied in the end, it will still be able to severely humiliate the Great Chu court.

For the grassland tribes, such a plan is normal.They probably have no interest in occupying territory, after all, they are not good at defending the city.Anyway, if it is left to the people of Dachu, it will be a prosperous city again in a few years, and it can be looted again.

On the surface, if the plan of the Xirong people was like this, then Qinzhou would be safe.But it is not.The Xirong people were not greedy enough and always wanted to enter the more prosperous inland to plunder. Moreover, their small troops were not restrained and acted on their own. No one could guarantee that they would go to the city of Xinzhou to join them as originally planned.

In case someone is greedy enough, it is normal to enter Qinzhou territory.Anyway, their cavalry came and went like the wind, so wasting a little time on the road was nothing.

What's more, even if it doesn't work out for a while, if Xinzhou is brought down soon, or if it doesn't last forever, the Xirong people will have other ideas, and Qinzhou is really not safe.Ping An really wants to believe that Xinzhou can stick to it, but with bad news everywhere, he also knows that he can't place his hopes on others.

So he immediately sent the news to Qinzhou Zhizhou for him to deal with.

Because of the matter of the bow and arrow factory, and Qian Cheng, the commander of the imperial city, Qinzhou Zhizhou was very polite to Ping An. Now that Ping An sent the news and said that he was good or bad, he couldn't help but feel worried.

Everyone is very excited when it comes to war, as if the credit is already under their control.But is war so simple?The magistrate of Qinzhou has been carrying this heart since the beginning of the war.It's just that the battle went well before, so he wasn't that worried.After all, there is no way to get to Qinzhou. It is nothing more than recruiting more peasants to transport food, grass and luggage.

But now that the situation is so critical, he may suffer under his own rule, so how can he not worry?

He is a civil servant, and he is a very pure weak scholar.In fact, let alone wars, most of the specific state and county affairs are handed over to the staff and subordinate officials.Because this grown-up doesn't understand anything other than well-written articles.

Fortunately, he did not pretend to understand. After hearing Ping An's words, he immediately asked, "Eunuch Qi, look, what should we do now?"

"As far as I can see, Xirong people cannot be allowed to enter Qinzhou territory." Ping An said.

Zhizhou looked sad, "I mean the same thing, but the Xirong people can't follow our will." It's easy to say, but can the Xirong people be so obedient?

Ping An said, "Actually, their target should be Xinzhou. Even if they go elsewhere, they won't be able to stay for a long time." Although the generals are not very binding on the troops below, they must have made an agreement in advance, and it cannot be too outrageous. "So we just need to let the Xirong people know that Qinzhou is a hard bone."

Anyway, the place is so big, if you can't get it here, you can go elsewhere. The people of Xirong should not be dead, there is no need.

Although it was equivalent to driving the Xirong people to other places, Zhizhou was very satisfied.As long as it wasn't his territory that was harmed, and he wouldn't be reprimanded for it in the next year's evaluation, he would be satisfied.Maybe he will be rewarded by the imperial court for fighting Xirong for profit.

There is no way for Ping An to come up with such an idea.The bow and arrow factory is in Qinzhou. If the Xirong people come in and cause harm, it will have a great impact on his future plans.Moreover, he also needs to get the right to speak from Zhizhou to implement his plan.

Originally, Ping An had no intention of getting involved in the war.With this bow and arrow factory, anyway, his credit can't escape.But now that the situation is changing, he can't just watch like this.If the great Chu loses in this war, let alone the credit, everything that has been done before will be in vain.

He started to lay out here two years ago, and he came here by himself, not to meet a failure.

Either don't do it, or make it your best.This is the creed of peace.Now that you have started, you must work hard to make the results develop towards your expectations.As for whether you can succeed, you have to work hard first.

"As for how to make the Xirong people retreat." Ping An pointed to the crude map in Zhizhou Yamen, "Qinzhou is mountainous, and cavalry are not good at walking on mountain roads, so they must find places that are easy to walk. At this point, we It has an advantage. Because on the road from Xinzhou to Qinzhou, there is a big mountain across."

"Dinglong Mountain!" Zhizhou's eyes lit up, "By the way, Funing County! It's right between the two mountains, and it's the main road from Xinzhou to Qinzhou. If there is a large number of cavalry, they must come from Funing County!"

"That's right. So as long as Funing County is defended, even if the Xirong people want to come over, they can only send a small team of a few or a dozen people to attack. We have a team of brave men in Dachu. As long as we are prepared, we can deal with such a small number of people. , It’s absolutely fine. My lord, if you send troops to patrol around, if you want to get ringworm, you can easily get rid of it.”

Zhizhou immediately became happy, and it took a while to realize that there was another big problem, "But how to defend Funing County?"

"If my lord can trust me, I would like to go there in person, guard Funing County, and prevent those Xirong people from taking a step further." Ping An said slowly.

Zhizhou was actually a little hesitant.It's not that he doesn't believe in peace, it's just that the royal family trusts eunuchs, but is wary of eunuchs taking power.Besides, Ping An is not his own official, he came to Qinzhou for the matter of the bow and arrow factory, and to put it bluntly, he is not qualified to preside over such a big event.In addition, he was also worried that Ping An was too young to convince the public.You must know that those big bosses in the military camp have a very bad attitude towards him, a serious Zhizhou lord, can Ping An suppress them?

However, most of the troops stationed in Qinzhou were transferred to the front line, and now there is only one deputy general who stays here with [-] soldiers and horses. "Eunuch Qi has this heart, so I naturally want to support it. In this way, I will hand over Funing County to you." Then he wrote an official document and took the Tiger Talisman to dispatch troops.

Xu Wenmei was shocked when she heard that Ping An was going to Funing County, "Are you crazy? It's taboo to do so!"

Although the eunuchs of the Great Chu Dynasty had a high status and were even occasionally sent out as eunuchs to supervise the generals who went out to fight for the emperor, they did not actually have military power, and most of them could only watch from the side as the emperor's eyes. Any opinion can only be written in a memorial to the emperor.This is to allow some rebellious generals to restrain themselves without disrupting the arrangement of the army itself.

That is still the eunuch with the imperial decree in his hand. Ping An came here to set up a bow and arrow factory. He cannot and should not be in charge of the war. Refer to one.

If the emperor is too suspicious, he may be left out in the cold and never have a chance to stand out.

"I know." Ping An said, "But I have always sought wealth and wealth, and I bet that His Majesty will not punish me for such a trivial matter. Besides, as long as I win in the end, I can make up for my mistakes and cover up the past. Even if Your Majesty hinders the courtiers in the end. The matter discussion really punished me, but in my heart I feel that I am a person who can do practical things at critical times, not like those civil servants who are only good at writing. In the future, I will speak in front of His Majesty, and I will have more weight."

Judging from Zhang Dongyuan's attitude, the emperor had clearly been paying attention to him.He wasn't even punished for smuggling Xu Wenmei out, and Ping An didn't think the emperor would tolerate him.This is the best time for him to show his ability - because it is "forced by the times", not because he wants to seize military power.

There are too many places involved in this war.Zhao Can who is still in Hebei, the person behind the three-way army and the culprit of this coordination error, the strength comparison between Da Chu and the two surrounding countries...no one is allowed to lose.Losing this time will make the grassland people who are ready to move feel that they can be bullied, and there will be no peace in the future.It will also make Zhao Can's idea of ​​earning military merits from Hebei go to waste.The most important thing is that only by winning can Ping An gain the initiative and the right to speak, and remove the nails laid by some people in the Northwest Army!

On the surface, if they were defeated, the coach of the three-way army would be reprimanded, and he might be called back to the capital for punishment.But in fact it is not the case.If the battle is lost, the situation in the northwest will be even more difficult, and it is even more necessary for these generals who have been in the northwest for many years to stabilize the situation and fight against Xirong.

In this way, even if there is any fault, it can only be temporarily recorded in the account. Maybe under the political mediation, the emperor may be forced to order them to praise them.Who said that there is no better person in the court to replace them?

There is a phrase called "raising the bandit's self-respect", which refers to such a situation.Sometimes military generals will deliberately lose a battle, or let go of an enemy that could have been captured, just so that there will be battles to fight in the future.Otherwise, the world will be peaceful everywhere, how can these warriors have any use, how can they get the attention of the court and the emperor?

Ping An didn't know if there were such people here in the northwest, but he wanted to prevent this from happening first.As long as Xi Rong is subdued, he will be honest in the next few years.The northwest is stable, and anyone who wants to be cleaned up can be cleaned up.

Because it was facing Xu Wenmei, Ping An didn't hesitate to tell him everything he thought, "So, Master still thinks I shouldn't go?"

"Since you have figured it out, I can't stop it." Xu Wenmei sighed, "But I want to go with you."

"No!" Ping An immediately refused.

Xu Wenmei raised her eyebrows, "You can go, why can't I?"

Ping An took a deep breath and said helplessly, "Master, your identity is sensitive. If people see your face, are you afraid that the news will not reach the capital? If the emperor finds out, should I send you back or send you to the capital?" Send it back?"

"I've thought of this a long time ago." Xu Wenmei held up a mask, "I'll just wear this."

This is an iron mask that can cover most of the face, only revealing the eyes, mouth and chin.In this way, even if he was face to face with the emperor, he might not be able to recognize Xu Wenmei.

Pingan asked in surprise, "Where did this come from? Why haven't I seen it before?"

"I asked Youtai to call for me." Xu Wenmei smiled, "It was just delivered yesterday, so of course you haven't seen it."

Pingan: "...Master, you probably guessed that I was going to leave, so you prepared this thing?" No matter how you think about it, you feel like this.

Xu Wenmei shook her head slightly, "Who said that? I clearly planned to sneak out to play without you. Who knows that you don't know which muscle is wrong, and you insist on getting involved."

Before Ping'an had time to denounce, Xu Wenmei paused, and his expression slowly became serious, "Ping'an, tell me the truth, although you have found many reasons, among them, His Highness the Seventh Prince's heart is probably more important. Bar?"

Ping An didn't know how to refute.

This opportunity is once in a lifetime for him, and it is the same for Zhao Can.They have spent a lot of thought, and it would be a pity if they failed.

Besides, he made a promise with Zhao Can that we will meet again after the war is over.It must be the exhaustion of victory, and a tacit smile at each other when we meet again.Instead of being shrouded in the haze of failure, we are speechless when we meet each other.

In front of Xu Wenmei, Ping An couldn't deny it.

"I knew it." Xu Wenmei sighed, "I remember it wasn't like this before I left Beijing, Ping An. You promised me back then that you would know it. Is this what you knew?"

"I..." Ping An opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say.He wanted to say that he still had something in his heart, but did he really still have it?Intellectually, he knew that he should stay away, but as soon as Zhao Can approached, he immediately compromised.Can this be regarded as knowing?

Xu Wenmei played with the mask in her hand, lowered her eyes and said, "Ping An, I don't want you to follow my old path."

He has no choice, he is treated like an actor, and cannot escape his fate.But Ping An is different. He has such a dazzling talent and countless ambitions waiting to be displayed, so he shouldn't suffer such humiliation.

"He's different." Even though Ping An had complicated thoughts, his first reaction was to defend Zhao Can.Zhao Can was serious, at least at that moment, at this moment.As for the future... Ping An himself can't promise the future, so how can he be demanding of him?

Xu Wenmei frowned, realizing that Ping An might have already made a choice in her heart, and it would be useless to persuade her, so she had to say, "Ping An, you always know what you want, and I also believe that at a certain point, you You must be able to make an appropriate choice, Master just hopes that you will not be harmed."

"I know." Ping An laughed, "Master, don't say it so scary, it's actually not a big deal at all. As for emotional matters, if you get together, you will get together or if you don't, I'm not a person who will live or die for this."

In essence, his view of love is quite cold, and the person who needs to worry in the end may not be him.

"Okay, then hurry up and get out! Don't you still have to prepare to take things to Funing County?" Xu Wenmei said, "Bring more of your bomb, maybe it will be useful by then."

"Have someone pretend it already." Ping An said, "But I don't plan to let the army take it with me. Let Kai Yang stay behind and escort it. Master, you follow him too, so it won't attract attention."

Even with a mask, you still have to be careful.After all, the emperor's people might also observe him, and then report such a person around him.It's hard to say whether it will be able to hide it by then.

Ping An has never doubted how extreme the imperial power of this era can be, and is even less willing to challenge it.

When Xu Wenmei left the capital, the emperor didn't do anything to him, so it might have been possible to find out his whereabouts by himself.It doesn't matter if you can't find it, if Xu Wenmei is found by the emperor, it will be impossible to escape in the future.

Because time was urgent, Ping An took the bows and arrows produced by the bow and arrow factory and 3000 people on the second day and set off for Funing County.This time, Ping An puts both Qi Ming and Xiao Quan on, leaving You Tai and Sun De to manage the bow and arrow factory.

Sun De is a smart person, if he has any plans, then the time to leave safely is the best time.This is also Ping An's test for Youtai. If the bow and arrow factory is to be handed over to him in the future, this kind of thing will happen sooner or later.If he can't solve it independently, Ping An will reconsider the matter.

At this time, Baba still thinks for them. Ping An thinks about it and feels that he is just a hard worker, and he can't relax wherever he goes.

On the way from Qinzhou City to Funing County, Ping An could still receive news from the front from time to time. Letters from the Northwest Governor's Office of Xinzhou City to various places asking for help.

The lieutenant surnamed Zhou who stayed behind in Ping'an's letter to Qinzhou City came to discuss with Ping'an whether he wanted to go to Xinzhou after hearing the order from the governor's office to summon soldiers and horses.It was obvious that he really wanted to go.That's right, the governor is in charge of military and political power along the way, so he can be regarded as his boss.Usually, he is aloof and has no chance to contact him at all, so naturally he has to rush to show at this time.Otherwise, even if he has credit in the end, it will not be his turn.

But peace is another idea.

His purpose is to keep Qinzhou intact, and 3000 troops are really limited, so it is impossible to tell them apart.Besides, even if you go to Shinshu, what's the use?There are plenty of talents over there, and they can only listen to orders and act on the sidelines, with little effect.

From Ping'an's point of view, Xinzhou's city walls are tall, there are so many people around, and there is enough food and grass. It should be no problem to hold the city for a month or two.That being the case, there is no need for him to worry about it.If no reinforcements arrive within a month or two, whether or not they go will be the result.

So Ping An ignored Deputy General Zhou's hospitality and asked the messenger to continue to Qinzhou City. Let Master Zhizhou take care of such troublesome things.Anyway, the order I got was to guard Funing County.