Zhao Shi couldn't believe his eyes, where is there still a little bit of a dignified prince, he is simply a live guy!

Zhao Yun on the side whispered coldly: "Mischievous." ”

Although Zhao Yun's voice was small, it was still heard by Guo Qi, Guo Qi looked back at Zhao Yun, and didn't even pay attention to him, but asked Ling Jing directly: "Why is it so late today!" Hurry up and unload everything, peel and disembowel, the brothers are still waiting! ”

"No! All hurry, hurry. ”

Ling Jing commanded a group of sergeants, lifted the canvas on the carriage, and removed the prey stacked on the carriage one by one and hung it on the shelves on the side; There are all kinds of prey here, hares, roe deer, wild boars, elk, bamboo rats, etc.; Because the weather was so cold, the prey froze not long after they died, and they were as hard as stones.

Guo Qi scooped a large scoop of boiling water from the cauldron, walked to the side shelf, looked at the roe deer hanging on the shelf, poured the boiling water from top to bottom, pulled out the butcher knife pinned to his waist, and began to pick the skin of the roe deer.

While Guo Qi was doing the work in his hands, he asked Zhao She, "Aren't all the camps arranged for you!" I don't know what else the general is looking for this king? ”

"Your Highness, there is some misunderstanding here, please allow the old minister to explain it to you." Zhao Shi said very humbly.

"Misunderstanding." Guo Qi sneered: "This misunderstanding is also big!" When Murong Chui led the Xirong army to storm Huangyang, the king sent the chief of the palace to personally go to the Qishan camp to ask for help, but the western army pushed five or two or six and refused to send troops at all;

It's good now, this king has just wiped out Murong Chui's Xirong army on the front foot, and your General Zhao has arrived with reinforcements from the Western Army on the back foot, which is too coincidental! ”

"That's what Your Highness said." Zhao Shi said very humbly: "Your Highness is also the one who leads the army, and you should know that it is not so simple for this army to go on the expedition;

As the saying goes, 'the soldiers and horses have not moved, the grain and grass go first', and now that the imperial treasury is empty, the old minister has worked hard in Luodu to raise the grain and grass needed for this army...... That's why it's too late to send troops, so please atone for your sins. ”

Guo Qi is not an unreasonable person, no matter what Zhao Shi says, he is also an important minister of the imperial court, An Guogong, the right prime minister, and the general of Zhengrong, everyone is so humble, if Guo Qi holds on to it again, it will be Guo Qi Laozi, in front of the emperor, Guo Qi can't say it; Guo Qi also understands that if he really gets into trouble with Zhao She, it will not be good for him in the future, not to mention that Guo Qi still has something to ask Zhao Shi to do!

"The general is serious." Guo Qi put down the work in his hand, bowed to Zhao She, and said: "Before, it was this king who was abrupt and neglected the general; You may not know that the attack of the Xirong army this time was very fierce, and my Yongzhou soldiers and civilians suffered heavy casualties. ”

"Your Highness is serious." Zhao Shi returned the salute and said: "It's just that the old minister has something unclear, and I ask His Highness to give advice." ”

"If the general has anything to say, just ask!"

"The old minister found that the number of troops in this city was only two thousand, and the rest except for these wounded soldiers were young and strong; I don't know where the prince's elite army is? ”

"The Yong army under the command of this king has advanced westward."

"Westward?" Zhao Shi was shocked: "Your Highness means that you sent a large army to take the initiative to attack Xirong?" ”

"Exactly."

"I wonder how many troops His Highness has sent? Who's leading the way? When did you depart? Zhao Shi hurriedly asked.

"An army of 40,000 men, divided into north and south; The Southern Route Army had Commander Sun Guoqing, with 10,000 troops; The Northern Route Army, commanded by Hu Qiong and Tang Bi, had 30,000 troops and set off the morning before yesterday. ”

"Why didn't Your Highness inform the old minister earlier." Zhao Shi said a little angrily: "The old minister will lead 10,000 elite cavalry reinforcements of the western army, and he will also bother His Highness to write a warrant, and the old minister will take the response to the army, and order the two generals Hu Qiong and Tang Bi to lead the army back to Huangyang." ”

"Don't worry, general, now more than 100,000 troops in Xirong have all died under this Huangyang Pass; The eastern part of the Sijon Khanate is empty of troops, and it will be fine, and besides, the king believes in the ability of the generals under his command, and they will definitely bring the news of victory to the king. Guo Qi said confidently.

"Hey!" Zhao Shi sighed and said: "Since His Highness is so confident, then the old minister will not say much, but before His Highness's army returns, the old minister hopes that His Royal Highness can hand over Huangyang Pass to the old minister to garrison, in case the Xirong army attacks again." ”

"There is no need for a general to garrison this Huangyang Pass, and this king wants to ask the general to be stationed in another place."

"Where? Please make it clear to Your Highness? ”

"The Great Earthquake."

"The Great Earthquake?" Zhao Shi was a little puzzled: "Your Highness is talking about the Great Earthquake Pass located in the depths of the Longdi Mountain Range. ”

"Exactly." Guo Qi said: "The Great Earthquake Pass was originally an important pass of my Great Qi in Western Xinjiang, if the pass can be rebuilt here, Longzhou will return to the hands of my Great Qi, and it will also add an additional line of defense for Guanzhong in Western Xinjiang." ”

"Your Highness, it is naturally a good thing to recover Longzhou." Zhao Shi nodded and said: "But has Your Highness thought about it, now Longzhou is uninhabited, even if His Highness rebuilds the Great Earthquake Pass, then the road must be repaired, and the bricks, stones, and wood, as well as the grain, grass and ordnance required for the garrison of the army in the future, must be transported from Yongcheng;

This road is tortuous, and most of them are mountain roads, not to mention that there are five or six hundred miles, the cost is huge, and the gains outweigh the losses! ”

"This is the reason why the imperial court gave up Longzhou in the first place!"

"That's what Your Highness said." Zhao Shi sighed and said: "Back then, the Xirong army broke through the defense line of Longdi Mountain, entered Longzhou, and completely destroyed it; At that time, the imperial treasury was empty and could not afford to rebuild the defense line, so it could only retreat to build a defense line in Qishan......"

"If this king has a way, there is no need to supply the baggage needed to rebuild the defense line of Longdi Mountain from Yongcheng!"

"If that's the case, then Your Highness has really made a great contribution for me." Although Zhao Shi said so, he still didn't believe it in his heart.

At the moment when the two were talking, a herald with three red flags hurriedly ran over to report: "Report, report, report...... Under the leadership of the two generals Hu Qiong and Tang Bi, the Northern Route Army has captured the Xirong Huating camp, and our army has suffered few casualties and captured countless grains, grasses and ordnance;

At present, 30,000 troops are resting and waiting in Huating, and the two generals intend to divide their troops, all the way north to Yuanzhou, all the way west to Qinzhou, please make a decision. ”

Guo Qi took the battle report and said: "Send someone to tell Hu Qiong and Tang Bi that this king made it very clear before that the affairs of the army are completely decided by the two of them, and all this king wants is victory." ”

"No! The lord is wise. The little colonel on the side said: "If you are lowly, you will send someone to Huating." ”

"Your Highness, you must not divide your troops!" Zhao Shi hurriedly stopped.