Zhang Qi was really hesitating. After returning to his camp, Zhang Qi sat for a long time behind the military case and still couldn't pay attention, so he had to call Zhi Keshi and ask, "Is that Lord Murong really in charge of logistics?" ”

The so-called three armies have not moved, and grain and grass go first. What determines the victory or defeat of a war, in addition to the strategy of the main general, is the preparation of logistics. The main general anticipates the enemy's opportunity, and the soldiers can fight bravely to kill the enemy; The logistics are properly prepared, so that the soldiers can have no worries. However, as soon as Zhang Qi spoke, he couldn't help laughing. Not to mention the two sharp weapons of the country, the tunnel gun and artillery, only one Lanqing defense line. The construction of this iron-clad defense line is a major event that is earth-shaking no matter what the court official does, and there will be a few scandalous incidents of abusing the people. But Murong Fu only took seven years, and he did it quietly. With this matter alone, does Murong need to ask more about his ability to do logistics?

Even Zhi Keshi quickly gave a positive answer. "Over the years, when forts have been built in the west, it has been said that the people are working hard and the money is lost. The project has been delayed for a long time, and the people are also miserable, but this Lanqing defense line is completely different. It is only because of the original twists and turns that it was said that self-financing would not hurt the people's strength, and it was because of the construction of this defense line that no forced labor was used. The lower officials once thought that without conscription, this line of defense would not be built. Unexpectedly, Lord Murong was in charge of paying wages to the people in the west who participated in the construction of the defense line, and the people in the west not only did not suffer from the construction of the defense line, but because of this defense line, they had a lot of income. Lord Murong also took advantage of the situation to introduce many merchants to do business here, and this one in and one out, Xia Guan estimated that Lord Murong was afraid that he had made a lot of money. ”

"Is that so?" Zhang Qi had the heart to ask for an understanding, but now he was distracted by the war, so he asked again after a moment of silence. "With Zunzheng's understanding of Lord Murong, how is his character?"

Zhi Keshi smiled and said without thinking: "Perseverance, courage and ability, a friend worth making." ”

Zhang Qi smiled again when he heard this, and only said angrily: "The old man shouldn't have come to ask you!" ”

Zhi Keshi was also surprised, and said with a smile: "Lord Zhang doesn't know, Lord Murong once came to serve in the Western Army during the Yuanfeng period, taught the method of nursing on behalf of his mentor Master Su, and treated countless soldiers of our Western Army. It's ......"

Zhang Qi also sighed, and said quietly: "Such a talent is my great luck in the Song Dynasty." It's just ......" just thought that Murong Fu was going to use his military exploits to suppress the official family, and he was still uncomfortable in his heart.

Seeing Zhang Qi's hesitant appearance, he couldn't help laughing and said, "My lord, my subordinates don't understand the thoughts of you civil officials. What is the importance of this new party and the old party? In these years, the old party has been in power, but the life of the people is much better than before! ”

Zhang Qi was immediately stunned when he heard this, and said for a while: "The official family is the lord of the world after all!" ”

"Akashi's body, I'm afraid it won't last a few years." Before Zhang Qi's words fell, Chong Mo actually lifted the door curtain and strode in.

Zhi Keshi hurriedly got up and saluted the plant, but Zhang Qi was taken aback and said hurriedly: "Where do you start with this?" ”

Chong Ge sighed and said slowly: "Ben General met Akashi in the Yuanfeng period, and his health was not good at that time, and he was seriously ill several times during the march. Since Princess Shushou passed away, his body has become more and more deteriorating. Before Master Zhang and Zunzheng came to my Yan Yanjun, he had just been sick again......" Speaking of this, Chong Mo couldn't help but sigh softly. "Master Zhang is worried that Akashi will take power and hold the official family hostage in the future, but Ben General is worried that if this battle is not fought now, he is afraid that he will not survive for a few years...... In the past ten years, he has worked hard for our Western Army, and his net worth and life have been thrown in, and he can't let him die or close his eyes! ”

Zhang Qi's complexion changed suddenly, and he squeezed out a sentence after a while: "Is this true?" ”

He smiled and said in a deep voice: "Husband, even if the old man is bent on destroying the Xia Kingdom, he will not laugh at this kind of thing." Xue Muhua beside Akashi is a well-known doctor among the people, and Zheng Wei and Master Zhang in the army are also familiar with him. Akashi's condition, Master Zhang can inquire about them. That's all I have to say, farewell! With that, he bowed to Zhang Qi and withdrew.

He is the pacification envoy of Yan Yan Road, Zhang Qi is the pacification envoy of Huanqing Road, and they are equal in terms of military generals' official positions; However, if the official grade of the thesis is graded, Chong Mo is only the official rank of the fifth grade of Wenzhou Thorn History, while Zhang Ji is the bachelor of the Longtu Pavilion of the third grade. In view of this, since Zhang Kai took office, he has always been respectful to him. Today, with such a clear position, Zhang Qi couldn't help but be stunned, and after a while, he turned his head to Zhe Keshi and asked, "Zunzheng, you think so too?" ”

Zhi Keshi pondered for a long time, and finally got up and bowed deeply to Zhang Qi, and said word by word: "Please think twice!" ”

Seeing that Zhi Keshi also came to persuade him, Zhang Ji finally clearly realized that Murong Fu had already won the heart of the Western Army, and this war was imperative. If he insists on not complying, I am afraid that he will soon be kicked away as a stumbling block.

Although Zhang Ji is old, his mind is very flexible, and he is not a person who is twisted. Now that he understood his situation, he sat down in the tent of the cultivator on the second day and patiently asked, "What are you going to do?" ”

As soon as Zhang Qi said this, Murong Fu immediately smiled slightly, and replied: "The Empress Dowager is sad and compassionate, and she doesn't want to see the west burn again." However, if the Xia army takes the initiative to attack, it is the proper intention of my Song soldiers to protect their families and defend the country. ”

Zhang Qi nodded, understanding that this meant that he wanted to go to the court to lie about the military situation. "Are you sure the Empress Dowager will send you to the west to supervise the war?" Although Murong Fu was favored by the Empress Dowager, he was too young, and such a major event might not be his turn.

Murong Fu shook his head gently, and said slowly: "The Empress Dowager did not send officials to supervise the war, but sent officials to understand the situation, and at the same time give me the right to act cheaply. Seeing Zhang Qi furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, Murong Fu explained again. The ministers of the political hall are not familiar with military affairs, but they like to talk on paper and are used to leaking secrets, which is really in the way. Yes, there was no need for them to know about this big war in the first place. Wait for us to take Hengshan, and then go up to the court to ask for grain and grass. ”

Murong Fu's move was undoubtedly a complete break from the possibility that the imperial court would arbitrarily assign the prison army to command indiscriminately and ruin the war situation. It's just that if they do this, it means that at the beginning of the war, their western army will not get the slightest support from the imperial court. "Since the logistics are in charge of you, before taking Hengshan, is there any problem with the grain and grass?" Although Zhang Qi also knew that Murong Fu had a rich family background, he couldn't be cautious at this time. Supporting half of the war with one person is really chilling.

Murong Fu immediately stretched out his sleeves and said casually: "Although you can rest assured in this matter, it is more than enough to help the Western Army to destroy the Xia Kingdom with my own strength!" "Murong Fu has the vision and business experience accumulated in later generations, and he has always beaten all opponents of his time when he starts trading. Over the years, the trade of shipping and money has gathered the wealth of half of Asia into his hands. And he himself is not very profligate, and he does not love antiques or beauties, and he does not have any hobby of burning money. To him, these riches are just a pile of numbers, and it makes no difference whether there are more zeros or fewer zeros.

As soon as Zhang Qi saw Murong Fu's lightweight appearance, his eyebrows jumped wildly, and he pressed his eyes hard, and said, "Don't forget Da Liao." The Liao State and the Xia State are dependent on each other, and my Great Song Dynasty wants to destroy the Xia Kingdom, and the Liao Lord will not sit idly by. ”

"So, I've got an opponent ready for him." Murong Fu immediately smiled and said, "Before Master Zhang came to the Yan Army, Xia Guan went to the Wanyan Department of Changbai Mountain. This tribe is the Jurchen Shengfan under the rule of the Liao State, and the ancestors were originally the Heishui Yan in the Tang Dynasty. Most of these Jurchens made a living from hunting, and they were all barbaric and brave, and they were good opponents of the Liao State. As he spoke, he told Zhang Qi how he befriended Wanyan under the guise of doing business, and secretly sent someone to pretend to be Wu Yashu to burn the tribute to the Liao lord.

Zhang Qi nodded again and again, but frowned again when he learned that there were only tens of thousands of people in the Wanyan Department. "There are too few people, and they can only bring a little harassment to Liao."

Murong Fu smiled and said: "Liao Tai/Zu Zeng said that the Jurchen is not satisfied with ten thousand, and the ten thousand are invincible, which shows the combat power of this tribe. Moreover, there are a total of twelve Jurchens in the Liao State, and the Wanyan Department is only one of them. Although the number of Wanyan tribe is small, there are many people in the entire Jurchen clan. The Liao lord has long formed a hatred for the arbitrary bullying of the Jurchen divide and rule. What the Jurchens lack now is just a leader. "Murong Fu knows that in history, Wanyan Agu fought against Liao for four years, but now it is twenty years early, which happens to be the time when the new generation of soldiers grow up and the old group of soldiers grow old." Of course, now the combat power of the Wanyan Department is insufficient compared with the Liao State, and in order to strengthen their hearts, Xia Guan thinks that they can sell them some tunnel guns. ”

Speaking of tunnel guns, Zhang Ji had to be cautious, and immediately sat up straight and said: "The tunnel guns are now only made by my Great Song Dynasty, and if you sell them to the Jurchens, you are not afraid of raising tigers?" ”

This time, without waiting for Murong to repeat his words, Zong Ze, who was sitting on the side, had already smiled and said: "Master Zhang, don't worry, if the tunnel gun has no bullets, it is better than a burning stick." With the technical level of the Jurchens, it would be wishful thinking to want to make their own bullets! ”

"Besides, although the Jurchens are fierce, the lower officials don't think that they can be the opponent of the Khitan leather room with their current combat strength." Murong Fu said meaningfully, "One is a dying tiger, and the other is a young tiger that has grown up. If they can fight to lose both, wouldn't it be the best result for Da Song? ”

Murong Fu's words really won the hearts of everyone. The six people in the tent looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh at the same time.

"Xia Guan plans to return to Beijing to face the saint in the next few days, and by the way, mention to the Empress Dowager about the changes of the Xia army over the past few days. As for the matter of buying Yanbu, it will be handed over to my personal servant bag for different disposals. Bao Wei has followed the subordinate for many years, and he has always been capable, and he will definitely not miss. After laughing for a while, Murong Fu said again. And after the official returns to Beijing, Master Zhang's recital can be presented. As for how to grasp the battle situation reported in the recital, please consider it more. When the subordinate has received the holy order and returns to the west, the rest will be left to you! ”

As soon as Murong Fu's voice fell, he spread a map on the desk. "After the first war in the Yuanfeng period, the Xia Kingdom was already weak. In this battle, the general thought that the troops could be divided into two routes, and marched from Lanzhou and Gyeongju at the same time......"

The five of Zhang Qi, Chong Ge, Zhe Keshi, Chong Shi Dao, and Zong Ze discussed the use of soldiers, but Murong Fu had no intention of listening to it anymore. He was not familiar with the military, and he did his best to provide prototypes of the Mandarin Duck Array and develop tunnel guns and artillery. The only thing left is to do our best and obey the destiny of heaven. He had a lot of thoughts, and unconsciously remembered the situation in Liao. I don't know how the eldest brother will explain to Yelu Hongji about the loss of the tribute after returning to Beijing? He is honest by nature, and he will tell the truth when he thinks about it. It's a pity that the Liao lord is stupid and quite jealous of the Jurchen tribe, and I am afraid that he will not listen to his advice......

“…… After Yelu Chongyuan was killed for rebellion, the Liao lord reused Yelu Yixin, the king of the Northern Courtyard. This person is a sycophant and has no talent. Wanyan's troops echoed our army, and if it was against this person, there was no need to worry too much. On the contrary, it was Xiao Feng, the king of the Southern Courtyard who guarded Yanjing...... "At this time, Zhang Qi's topic turned to Xiao Feng. "I heard that this person and the adult are still old acquaintances?"

When it came to Xiao Feng, the complexions of the seed master and the seed master were unnatural for a moment. After a long time, Chong Fu Fang said in a deep voice: "This person is extremely talented in using soldiers, and now he is the king of the Southern Courtyard. If he led the troops to attack the Song Dynasty, I am afraid it would be extremely tricky. ”

"Absolutely not." Unbeknownst to him, the seed master couldn't help but defend Xiao Feng. "Brother Xiao has great righteousness, although he has returned to his homeland, he will never lead troops to attack the Song Dynasty. In this matter, the lower official dares to guarantee with his life! ”

However, Zhang Qi didn't believe in the "life guarantee" of the seed master, and only mentioned him lightly: "People's hearts are changeable!" ”

The seed master was not convinced, and couldn't help but quietly pull Murong Fu.

Murong Fu came back to his senses at this time, and was stunned for a moment before he said in a low voice: "The Lord of Liao is so happy and credulous and impulsive, as long as the Western Army makes a noise, the Lord of Liao will not want to let go of this good opportunity to take advantage of the situation." As for the candidate to lead the troops, Xiao Feng is no match for the clever Yelu Yixin! ”

Zhang Qi nodded with satisfaction and said approvingly: "This is what Lao Cheng said about the country!" ”

Zhi Keshi saw that the seed master Dao was a little wilted under the stares of his uncle, and hurriedly changed the topic to relieve him. "If Yelu Yixin leads the army, the pressure on the north should not be too worried. After the Yan troops responded, Yelu Yixin had to rush back with his troops in a hurry, and there was a false alarm in the north. ”

Zhang Qi nodded again and said in a deep voice: "The last question, when will the army start?" ”

As soon as Zhang Qi said this, Chong Mo and the others turned their attention to Murong Fu. I saw Murong Fu take a deep breath and say word by word: "On the first day of the ninth year of Yuanyou, the envoy of the Xia Kingdom will not come to His Majesty's house for a long time, and the lower officials can come to the west to understand the battle situation and act cheaply." ”

"It's good to start fighting after the beginning of spring! Very good! Zhang Ji couldn't help but nod when he heard this. The winter combat environment is treacherous, which really shakes the morale of the army. Murong Fu could anticipate this, and Zhang Qi was obviously a little relieved of him.

"Please name this battle!" Murong Fu immediately bowed his hand.

"Naming, Battle of Pingxia!" Zhang Qi got up and said, "Take the 'rise and fall of common things and rest and sorrow' as an order." After all, he was a literati, and at this most critical juncture, he still couldn't hold back the hearts of the people, and mocked Xixia lightly.