Lu Zhongtian's face changed, he slowly got up and saluted: "The emperor should go back, the old man is tired and wants to rest." Please forgive the old man for not being able to send him off. ”

Guo Xu was stunned and said: "The matter has not been agreed yet, why do you want to rest?" ”

Lu Zhongtian laughed and said, "What is there to discuss? The emperor has his own plans in his heart, so why should he come to discuss with the old ministers? Doesn't the emperor already have a plan? The emperor is wise and martial, strategizing, and has already made plans, so the old minister can recuperate with peace of mind, and he doesn't have to worry about it. The emperor will do what you think. ”

Only then did Guo Xu understand that Lu Zhongtian changed his face because he put forward ideas contrary to him. I do already have a plan, but this plan needs Lu Zhongtian's nod to be implemented, otherwise it is just an empty plan. He thought that Lu Zhongtian would have some good countermeasures, but after listening to Lu Zhongtian's plan, he really couldn't accept it. According to Lu Zhongtian's plan, that is, to implement a policy of non-resistance, defend the capital to the death, and then negotiate peace with the Liao and Jurchens. This is outrageous, isn't this the equivalent of luring a wolf into the house and opening the door for the enemy to enter? I really couldn't understand the purpose of Lu Zhongtian's plan, so I couldn't help but say what I thought in my heart.

"Grandfather, my Great Zhou has reached the most dangerous time, and at this time, it is necessary to put down everything and unite to resist the enemy. My grandfather may have disappointed my grandfather, but he didn't want to see the people around me ravaged and the people in misery. Even if you don't look at my face, just look at the face of my Great Zhou Emperor and my ancestors. I'm not presumptuous, I'm just trying to negotiate with my grandfather about the best way to deal with it. I'm thinking about the Great Zhou Jiangshan Society, isn't my grandfather like this? If I had done exactly what my grandfather had said, I would rather lose the capital and be killed by the Jurchens and the Liao, rather than ignore a large area of land and its people for the safety of Gyeonggi. Grandfather, please understand my suffering, I don't want to disappoint the people of the world, and I don't want to leave a legacy of infamy. Guo Xu said what he said in his heart sincerely, he must stick to his bottom line, if it is completely according to Lu Zhongtian's plan, what is the difference between it and the death of the country.

Lu Zhongtian pondered for a long time, he knew that Guo Xu who couldn't be forced was too much. Guo Xu's personality is tyrannical and impatient, and he is actually very restrained at this point today. If he is really anxious, this person is also elusive, and it is not conducive to his own affairs.

Thinking of this, Lu Zhongtian finally nodded slowly and said, "Since the emperor thinks so, the old minister can't insist too much. Well, make a compromise. The capital cannot be lost, and the emperor does not have to be rash. If the capital is lost, it will be a real country. The forbidden army could not move, and Yuan Zhenqian's soldiers and horses needed to rush to the capital to rescue in the starry night. As for the northeast direction, Lao Chen received a request from Bai Qi, asking the soldiers and horses to reinforce Xiongzhou and fight a decisive battle with the Jurchen army in Xiongzhou. Since the emperor is unwilling to give up too much, he can agree to Bai Qi's request and fight the Jurchens in Xiongzhou. However, the old minister reminded the emperor that if he lost this battle, the consequences would be extremely serious. Because the Jurchens will drive straight into the capital, the state capitals along the way will no longer have the power to resist. There will also be fewer soldiers and horses guarding Gyeonggi. At that time, I am afraid that the capital will be in danger. The emperor must think about this consequence. ”

Guo Xu said in a deep voice: "I am willing to accept such consequences. Even if he loses, there are still 200,000 forbidden troops in the capital, and if Yuan Zhenqian's 250,000 troops arrive in time, it will be more than enough to defend the capital. I also have confidence in Bai Qi, and if he gathers forces, his forces will also have an advantage. The best result is that Bai Qi defeats them, and the Jurchens are completely finished, and the Liao people are also finished. I hope this is the outcome. ”

Lu Zhongtian sighed and said: "I hope so, the emperor still worships the Buddha and burns incense, and hopes that the Bodhisattva will bless it." ”

……

Under the city of Xiongzhou, the siege battle entered the final stage of preparation. For the past three days, Wanyan Aguda had to wait for his siege equipment to be in place. Attacking a city like Xiongzhou must not be taken lightly, so it must be well prepared. However, the heavy snow did bring great trouble, and it took three days for all the siege equipment to arrive. Wanyan Aguda couldn't wait to order the assembly of parts, open up positions, and prepare for the siege.

On the first night of the siege, Wanyan Agu summoned the main generals of the army to arrange the siege of the next day in the big tent. This kind of large-scale siege was the first time for the Jurchen army. Wanyan Aguda himself was actually a little in a hurry, and the purpose of convening a meeting of the generals was to sort out the order of the attack and the responsibilities of their respective soldiers and horses, so as to avoid chaos during the siege.

Halfway through the meeting, the sound of wings flapping outside the tent was heard, and Hai Dongqing's triumphant chirp sounded. Wanyan Agu knew that it was Hai Dongqing, who had been released to hunt the flying pigeons or other birds that sent the letters, and returned. If Hai Dongqing didn't succeed and flew back, he would not usually scream loudly, and if he made that loud and proud cry, it would mean that they must have succeeded in something.

Sure enough, the soldiers who were responsible for taking care of Hai Dongqing entered the big tent and sent the bamboo tube to Wanyan Aguda. There were still blood stains on the bamboo tube, and some pigeon feathers were stained. Obviously, Hai Dongqing hunted the carrier pigeon that delivered the letter and brought the bamboo tube back. The carrier pigeons were probably eaten by them.

Wanyan Agu pulled out the wooden cork on the bamboo tube with great anticipation, took out a roll of silk cloth from it, unfolded it and looked at it quickly, and suddenly slapped the table and laughed.

"Hahaha, it's just the right time. It turns out that they want to fight us to the death. Good, good. ”

Everyone looked at each other, and they didn't know what news had been intercepted that made the big leader so excited.

"Great Chief, what's going on?" Li Guoqiu asked.

"Strategist, you can read it to the brothers." Wanyan Agu handed the silk cloth to Li Guoqiu.

Li Guoqiu stretched out his hand to take it, unfolded the silk cloth and read: "Deputy Envoy Bai, the imperial court has agreed to your request, and the old man has already ordered the commander of the five armies of Guangxin, Ansu, Baoding, Shun'an, and Yongning to immediately lead the army to reinforce Xiongzhou. Depending on the distance, you can arrive within a few days, but you must hold on to Xiongzhou for a few days and wait for reinforcements to arrive. The Great Zhou Privy Envoy Lu Zhongtianzi. ”

The generals suddenly realized that what was intercepted by Hai Dongqing was a letter written by Lu Zhongtian, the privy envoy of the Great Zhou Dynasty, to Bai Qi, the guard general of Xiongzhou. The meaning of the letter is very clear, the Great Zhou court has decided to order the Five Route Army on the northeast border to gather in Xiongzhou to fight to the death with the Jurchen army. This news is not trivial, and when the generals heard it, they immediately discussed it.

"Great Chief, if this news is true, the soldiers and horses of the Great Zhou are rushing to Xiongzhou. They have a lot of soldiers and horses, and we don't seem to have to go toe-to-toe with them. The other side is ready to face the battle, can our army avoid its edge? ”

"Phew, what's that? What to avoid it? Kill as many as you want, what are you afraid of them? We're worried about going to them everywhere. It's better to send them to the door, and serve them in one pot. ”

"To put it lightly, as far as I know, there are quite a few soldiers and horses in the northeast border town of the other party, and there are probably 300,000 people gathered together, which is more than our number. After my army was divided, there were less than 200,000 men and horses, how could it be served in one pot? This is a war, and it is fought with real swords and guns, not by playing tricks and bragging. ”

"In my opinion, since we have learned such news, we should seize Xiongzhou before the opponent's troops and horses are assembled, so as not to cause trouble. As mentioned above, it will take several days for the nearest troops and horses to arrive, and we will attack with all our might, and when they arrive, it will be too late. ”

“……”

Everyone was indifferent, arguing with red faces and thick necks, and noisy. Wanyan Agu frowned and slapped the table, and shouted, "Brothers, don't quarrel. ”

Everyone immediately shut up and fell silent.

Wanyan Agu looked at Li Guoqiu and said, "The military advisor didn't say a word, what do you think about this?" ”

Li Guoqiu arched his hand and said: "Great leader, intercepting the other party's intelligence can be described as God's blessing. Otherwise, we will continue to discuss the arrangements for attacking Xiongzhou. Once attacked, if you can't attack for a long time, and the opponent's reinforcements arrive, it will be very bad. In view of this, the next suggestion is that we can no longer attack Xiongzhou, and we have to cancel the plan to attack the city tomorrow. ”

"What? Cancel the siege? You're crazy. The arrow has to be fired, the siege equipment is already in place, some have been calculated, and now stop the siege? Can't you quit the army? A group of generals shouted in shock.

"Everyone, don't be impatient, can you finish listening to what I say?" Li Guoqiu frowned.

Wanyan Agu said in a deep voice: "Shut up, listen to the military advisor finish speaking, why can't you hold your breath one by one?" Strategist, you continue. ”

Li Guoqiu bowed down and said in a deep voice: "Great leader, brothers, what I said about stopping the siege is not to attack Xiongzhou, but to use a smarter method. Imagine, the other side's reinforcements are coming, we attack this city, and when we are tired, the other party's reinforcements arrive, what will be the situation at that time? Don't underestimate the soldiers and horses of the Great Zhou, after all, they are also well-armored and well-armed, and their blades will kill us if they cut on our heads, so there is no need to be strong, knowing that the enemy's reinforcements are coming, but also forcibly taking risks, that is not a wise move. ”

Wanyan Agu said in a deep voice: "What does the military advisor mean? What is attacking and not attacking? I'm confused. ”

Li Guoqiu said with a smile: "What does it mean below is that if we make a feint to attack Xiongzhou, don't they have reinforcements coming?" Reinforcements are arriving from all over the place, let's give them a halfway interception and break each one. This is called the method of 'siege and reinforcement'. The Great Zhou soldiers and horses in the city will only be unable to shrink, and we can send cavalry and horses to intercept the enemy troops who come to help. And the other party has not known anything until now. The Great Zhou guards in the city intercepted the information, and they didn't know that the Great Zhou court had agreed to their plan, so they would not cooperate with the soldiers and horses who came to help, and they didn't dare to act rashly. And our army can attack flexibly, attack the Great Zhou soldiers who come to help, and eat them one by one. The elimination of its resistance soldiers and horses is the guarantee that we will finally be able to drive straight ahead. Moreover, since the Liao court has decided to fight me in Xiongzhou, it means that they have seen through the actions of General Hu Lu and Yalu Buhua, and they will not be fooled. In this case, why not order Yalu Buhua and General Hulu not to go too deep, and should immediately turn around and cooperate with our main forces to carry out the operation of attacking reinforcements, what do the unknown leaders and generals think? ”