An unexpected torrential rain enveloped the entire mountain and drove away the scorching heat for many days.

There was not a trace of heat on the river, the reckless mountains on both sides, the fierce waves of the river, a gust of wind blew, the rain and fog were vast, and the large raindrops jumped into the cabin, wetting the tables and benches in the middle of the boat.

This is a section of the Zhanghe River in Cizhou, and the experienced boatmen are engrossed in driving the boat, not daring to slack off.

“…… The wind blows and blows away, and the water under the lake is like the sky. ”

Wang Song was dressed in a hat, standing on the side of the boat, looking at the turbulent waves, silently reading this summer rain poem in his mouth, and couldn't help but think in his heart.

Su Dongpo was drunk in Wanghu Tower, the national disaster was at the head, and the Jurchens were raging, but he didn't have such a state of mind.

The guards on the side of the ship were armed with guns and knives, as if facing a great enemy. The guards looked vigilant, looking at the grass and trees on the riverbank, beware of Jurchens or villains.

"Ma Xuanzan, this official rules the water and soil for His Majesty, and transfers the people to live in peace, so that he can do it. It's just that now most of the land east of Hedong and Hebei has been poisoned by the Jurchens, and the places are rotten, thieves are rampant, and refugees are overflowing. Thieves harass the people, the rebel army is black and white, the Jurchen army may invade south at any time, the people cannot live and work in peace and contentment, and all industries are withering, which is really a headache! ”

After leaving the city of Xuzhou, Han Yi and the others sent him across the river and returned to Xiangzhou for the sake of Wang Song's safety.

After staying for a few days, Wang Song was depressed, and remembered that he was going down the east side of the river, so he went up the Zhanghe River and went straight to the east of the river.

The Zhanghe River is crisscrossed by hills and rivers, and Cizhou is an important town of Song soldiers, and the power of the Jurchens cannot reach for a while.

Hearing Wang Song's words, Ma Kuo pondered for a while and said: "Xianggong, for those who harm the people, they should be suppressed and appeased, and their first evil will be removed, and the remnants will be accepted. As for the rebels, it is naturally to pacify, train, divide and make it a sharp blade of the country, why not!"

"As for governing the place, the prime minister still waits for the imperial court to allocate it, so as not to fall into the pretext of arbitrary power."

He said solemnly: "Although it is the occupied area that has been restored, the prime minister only has the right to recommend, and he must not act recklessly, appoint officials without permission, and take a step forward!"

Ma Kuo is heartfelt words, he must try his best to assist this young man, and he must not let anything go wrong, affect himself, and miss the great cause of resisting gold.

Now the Jurchens are powerful and may wave their troops south at any time, but Wang Song is already talking about things after recovery, although he is confident, resolute and courageous, but the king is the king, the minister is the minister, and no one can touch the scale of the court.

Although the imperial court ordered the officials of Lianghe not to restrain Wang Song, it was just an emergency measure, and Wang Song also received a letter from Zhao Duofu, telling him to be cautious in his words and deeds, and not to ask for hardships.

"As Ma Xuanzan saw, where is the first choice for our army to resume the war?"

Hearing Wang Song's question, Wang Lun and Yang Zaixing glanced at each other, and Ma Kuo finally spoke first.

"Xianggong, in the opinion of the following officials, our army is newly created, Mo Ruo lays out from the states and counties where the Jurchens are weak, while training the troops, while recovering, encroaching on the whale swallowing, you can not only train the new army, but also slowly recover, I don't know what Xianggong thinks?"

"Ma Xuanzan, I'm afraid that the Jurchens won't give me time!"

Wang Lun shook his head. Although he was not as thorough in military affairs as Ma Ko, he also had his own strengths.

"The Jurchens make a living by plundering, and even if they establish a country, their essence remains unchanged."

Yang Zaixing said in a deep voice: "Once the weather turns cold, the Jurchens will invade the south on a large scale. According to the consistent style of play of the Jurchens, Jiancheng Dayi bore the brunt. Once these ministers are destroyed, where will our army go, and where will it go to train its troops? Either hold on, or conquer the city, and where to go will be decided by the prime minister!"

He deliberately added, "If any of the three towns can be restored in one fell swoop, the hearts of the people will be greatly shaken by the two rivers, and the Jurchens will also be struggling, and the prime minister can consider one or two." ”

"Brother Yang, you are really wise and brave, I underestimate you!"

Wang Song was a little shocked, he didn't expect that Yang Zaixing, a muscular man, also had such knowledge.

"It's not like I've been exposed to it, I'm learning from Xianggong! Xianggong, now the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty are all idle people, you still have to ......"

Yang Zaixing returned embarrassedly, and was about to say something in his heart, but was organized by Ma Kuo's eyes.

Ma Kuo picked up Yang Zaixing's words and continued: "Our army is a newly trained army, and it has never been on the battlefield, and once it is defeated, it will be a thousand miles away. Even if the Xianggong's performance goes to the official family, I'm afraid it won't be praised!"

"Ma Xuanzan is the same as I think!"

Wang Song said in a deep voice: "The official's intention is to restore Taiyuan first, and Hedong and Shaanxi are connected in one place, I don't know what you want?"

Lin, Fu and Feng are located in the northernmost part of Shaanxi, is the junction of the Song, Liao, and Western Xia countries, "the Yellow River takes its south, the Great Wall surrounds its north, and the land is located upstream, and it is like a building, the throat of Qin and Jin, and the danger of Guanshaan", which is an important obstacle to the east road of the Song Dynasty in the Song-Xia confrontation. In addition, good horses are also produced here, which is a rare production area of war horses in the Great Song Dynasty.

Wang Song wanted to restore Taiyuan first, connect Hedong and Shaanxi together, and not let Shaanxi, especially the three prefectures outside Hexi, face the attack of the Jurchens and Western Xia alone.

"Taiyuan ......"

Ma Da was taken aback, obviously shocked by Wang Song's bold plan.

All the way to the east of the river, the loyal and righteous army only occupied the southernmost Zezhou and Longde Mansion, which were mountainous and undulating, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the weather was too hot for the Jurchens to take care of for a while.

But to Taiyuan, there are Liaozhou, Weishengjun, and Fenzhou in between; And to the west of Zezhou and Lund, as well as Hezhong and Tongzhou, were occupied by the Jurchens.

In addition, the Jurchen general Wanyan Yinke sat in Taiyuan City, and his elite soldiers were strong, who dared to brush the tiger's beard at this time.

Wang Song now wanted to put aside the many golden soldiers who were looking around and directly attack Taiyuan City, which was too bold and risky.

Ma Kuo thought for a while, nodded and said:

"Xianggong, after Taiyuan fell into gold, Fuzhou and other border towns hung alone in the north, waiting for change. The armies of Linzhou, Fuzhou and Jinning fell under the siege of Jin and Xia. Xianggong restored Taiyuan, so that Hedong and Shaanxi were connected, and Fuzhou and Xu Huiyan of the Jinning Army could resist stubbornly and not fight alone. Xia Guan admires!"

After all, Ma Kuo is the queen of the gate, and he still sees the current anti-gold situation very thoroughly.

At present, the Jurchen Western Route Army Wanyan Zonghan is sitting in the clouds, and the Jurchen general Wanyan Lou is eyeing Shaanxi and wants to occupy it quickly. If you can't go north from the speed and support northern Jin, I'm afraid that Linzhou, Fuzhou, including the Jinning army will soon fall.

Historically, it was after the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty. At that time, he resisted Jin in Fuzhou for two years, and his soldiers were exhausted.

The Jurchens carried out a full-scale siege of Fuzhou, and their son Zhe Yanwen was plundered by the Jurchens, and promised to let Zhe Keqiu continue to prefect Fuzhou Prefecture and allow him to seal the land of Guanzhong. In desperation, it is possible to reduce the gold.

The Great Song Dynasty was unable to resist the iron hooves of the Jurchen cavalry with the strength of the country, so how could a tired army of 20,000 or 30,000 be able to resist the siege of the two countries of Jinxia!

The defeat of the Song Dynasty was not something that could be reversed by relying on a single setback.

A few years after Zhe Keqiu reduced the gold, he was also killed by the Jurchens, and the Zhejia army disappeared and drowned in the river of history.

Yang Zaixing praised: "Xianggong is far-sighted, and the villain admires!" He can ask for hard support, as long as he is given a glimmer of hope, he can persevere. With the constraints of the Loyal and Righteous Army and the Jinning Army, the Jurchens did not dare to recklessly capture the three states outside the river. ”

"Xianggong, the little subordinate is still a little worried."

Ma Kuo was worried, his brows furrowed and said: "Xianggong handed over the Hebei military to Yue, and I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse. If Zhang Heng or Dong Ping can be sent to lead the Hebei Zhongyi Army, Xianggong will definitely save a lot of trouble. ”

Wang Song was faintly unhappy in his heart, but he didn't say it. He is not a tyrant who does not listen to any advice. Besides, what Ma Kuo said, he is dedicated to the public and does not have any personal feelings.

It's just that Ma Kuo reminded him from time to time in his ear, which made him feel a layer of anxiety in his heart. Perhaps, as Ma Kuo said, compared with the Hedong Loyal and Righteous Army, his control of the Hebei Loyal and Righteous Army is really not very effective.

Yue Feitian's proud son, a famous general who has been proven in history. But if he is asked to choose between the court and himself, his choice may not be as he wants.

Moreover, such a loyal courtier, his prestige in the loyal and righteous army will definitely be replaced by Yue Fei's prestige in the army.

"Ma Xuanzan, what you said may be good."

Wang Song nodded and said with a wry smile: "As soon as the war in Hedong is over, I will personally take over the Hebei Loyal and Righteous Army, what do you think?"

Ma Kuo's heart was relieved, and he bowed: "This move is also for the sake of justice." The orders in the army can only be obeyed by the Xianggong alone, not by the Yue Commander or the court officials, otherwise, the loyal army will fall apart sooner or later. ”

"Not necessarily."

Wang Song shook his head slightly.

"Even if Yue Tong seized the power of the Hebei Loyal and Righteous Army, wouldn't he be subject to the imperial court?"

Ma Kuo was helpless, and bowed solemnly: "It seems that the hard work has not been in vain. Xiang Gong already knows the power of the "Law of the Ancestors". It's just that by that time, the Loyal Army had changed beyond recognition. ”

The two looked at each other and laughed, and the mustard in their words was also swept away in this laughter.

"Xianggong, if you want to restore Taiyuan City, the rear will be foolproof. If the left and right sides are restrained, I am afraid that the army will not be at ease. ”

Go to Taiyuan City, separated by Liaozhou, Weishengjun, and Fenzhou; The province of Hazhong and the same state are hindered in the west, which can be said to be full of dangers.

However, Wang Song wanted to restore Taiyuan City, but he had his reasons.

Compared with Hebei, although the east of the river is barren, there are Luliang Mountains in the west, Zhongtiao Mountain in the south, and Taihang Mountains in the east.

The Hebei Plain is a flat river, and if the east of the river is lost again, the city of Tokyo will be under the prying eyes of the Jurchens.

Although there are many Jurchens in Hedong, most of the people stationed in various places are the heroes of the Yisheng Army, and only Taiyuan is the elite of the Jin soldiers. As long as the elite of Wanyan Yinshu is defeated, the Jin soldiers south of Taiyuan Mansion will retreat without a fight.

"Ma Xuanzan, if I capture Taiyuan City with thunder, the Jin troops from all walks of life in Hedong will definitely retreat to the north of Taiyuan. At that time, the Jinning Army and Taiyuan will form a line, and the three states outside the river will be able to live in peace. It's a risk worth taking!

Wang Song said with a straight face, but there was a trace of confusion in his eyes.

After conquering Taiyuan, it is still unknown whether the imperial court will let him lead the army.