The autumn harvest is imminent, and the officials in Chang'an City generally take advantage of the beginning of the refreshing air to go out of the city and even climb the Range Rover to eliminate fatigue. Because they all know very well that once the sickle is officially opened, it will inevitably be tedious in official business, and if they want to be comfortable, it will be at least a month later. Although not everyone has to deal with taxes, as a subordinate officer, it is not uncommon for him to be seconded temporarily from one department to another. Besides, other yamen lit candles all night, or the officials all went to the countryside, but their own yamen still applied for the morning and evening, and the chief must not look good......

Especially those who strive to be motivated, if they don't take this opportunity to work overtime in order to win the favor of their superiors, how long will they stay?

Of course, even before the autumn harvest, there are some government offices that have already lit candles all night, and everyone is too busy to put their feet on the ground, and even needs to borrow people from other departments - that is, the cardinal.

In order to cope with the two major battles in Pingyang and Shangjun, Guo Mo, Yang Qing and other cardinal bureaucrats worked day and night. Originally, I thought that the so-called "strategizing and winning thousands of miles away", as long as the preliminary preparations are perfect enough, it will always be easier to wait until the official start of the fight. Who would have thought that Pei Gai would take care of them and imagine all kinds of possible situations, and even make plans for defeat - how to deal with the loss of Binh Duong City? If you cover up the attack on Shangjun and lose your troops, or even the whole army is wiped out, how should you deal with it?

There is no perfect strategy in the world, even if the general trend is superior, it is likely that because of some details, it will lead to defeat, or even a thousand miles, rather than being caught off guard and overstretched, it is better to plan early in order to save the defeat as much as possible.

In the past month or so, the cardinal department has made plans for various situations, even if it is clearly presented to Pei Cai, it has been filled with two mouthfuls of large bamboo baskets, which are still not perfected in the formulation, let alone how many. It wasn't until You Ziyuan came back from Shangjun that Pei Gai ordered a bamboo basket to be sealed and archived, and Guo and Yang breathed a sigh of relief.

Guo Mo couldn't help but say: "I knew that Youziyuan's trip was so smooth, so I wouldn't have to be so tired......

Pei Gai Zhengse said: "How can there be the word 'early knowledge' in the world? For example, marching and setting up camp, digging deep trenches, arranging antlers, setting up guards at night, and having open and secret sentry posts to prevent thieves from sneaking up, but if the thieves do not come, are all arrangements useless? Only by being vigilant day and night can we protect the army, once we relax, we will be defeated, and we should not ignore it. ”

Guo Mo just complained casually, but he didn't expect to attract Pei Gai's tirade, and hurriedly said: "Inherit the teachings of the metropolitan governor, and the last general will know." ”

Yang Qing took the opportunity to say beside him: "The battle of Shangjun is not the most important, even if the envoy is defeated, and the losses are mixed, there is no need to grieve, nor there is no need to compensate, and in addition to taking advantage of the victory to go south, there is nothing to plunder, and he may not dare to go deeper." Only the battle of Pingyang is related to the overall situation, if the city is broken by thieves, Pingyang is not defended, and Hedong is also threatened, I am afraid that it will directly shake the morale of the army in Guanzhong. Therefore, the last generals and others are still making various plans related to the battle in Binh Duong, and they dare not slack off for a day, and most of the governors should not worry. ”

Pei Cai nodded, and asked about the Pingyang front, can the latest information be delivered? Guo Mo hurriedly replied: "Counting the time, General Beigong has already arrived at the Yao Temple, and if he tries to respond with guerrilla tactics, he should be able to keep the Yao Temple alive." And there is a 'Liangzhou horse' guard, Linfen, Jiangyi grain, when can be sent to the Yao Temple one after another, with the cardinal's calculation, Wang Ze guards the Yao Temple, and General Liu sits in Pingyang, should be able to ensure that the ...... is not lost for a month"

Let's make it clear in advance, everything is well planned in my cardinal, and if it is defeated again, it will definitely be the poor command of the front-line generals, not our problem-

"After a month, the grain of Liangzhou will be transported, and even the Marquis of Liangzhou has already transported grain to Qinzhou, and the return of the history of the assassination will inevitably be a lot of cattle and sheep and materials. Chang'an can slowly send more troops, first gather in Linfen and Jiangyi, and then go north to support Pingyang and Yaoci. ”

Yang Qing added: "The last general still thinks that he should select soldiers who are good at mountain warfare and go around to the mountain pass in the north of Pingyang to block the retreat of the thieves. Only by killing and injuring the thieves, or even annihilating them in one fell swoop, can they take advantage of the victory to go north and occupy Xihe and Taiyuan. Since the two counties have been obtained, the army has returned to the party, and all of them can be obtained. ”

Pei Gai groaned slightly, and said: "I know what Qing and others said. Tomorrow, we should summon Pei Changshi and Tao Sima to discuss the matter of attacking and annexing the state with Qing and others - I hope that God will bless and Pingyang will not be lost, but it will make the veterans of Shihu Division tired, so that our army can go north and completely annihilate it! He didn't believe in heaven and earth, ghosts and gods, but after a long time, he would inevitably be contaminated with the habits of the times, and he would talk about "God's blessing" at every turn.

But the next day, he summoned Pei Wei and Tao Kan to discuss the matter of capturing and annexing the state with Guo and Yang.

This was really an unexpected joy, Pei Wei, Guo Mo and the others were very excited, only Tao Kan twisted his beard and groaned silently. Pei Cai asked, "What is Tao Jun worried about?" Tao Kan replied: "Kan Fang is planning, how to follow General Yang's plan, send a surprise army over the mountain to the northern mountain pass of Pingyang, cut off Shi Hu's retreat, but it is expected that these tens of thousands of soldiers will be annihilated in Pingyang County." However, Shi Hu has already been defeated, and whether or not he retreats to the state or not, it will make it difficult for me to go north because of the heavy troops blocking the mountain pass......

"In the past, Shihu went south, our army rushed to the battle, and the mountain pass fortifications were not complete, even so, Shihu had to use thousands of people's bones to pave the road before he could break through. If he is drowning in the mountain pass for a long time now, I am afraid that the army will be difficult to cross, and after the autumn, the Shangdang branch Qu Liu will also come to the aid of the mountain, and win the decisive victory in a dangerous place, I really don't know who will kill the deer.

"It's a pity that as the so-called 'blessing and misfortune lurk', although Pingyang is unharmed, it is even more difficult to capture and annex the state."

Pei Gai couldn't help but smile when he heard this: "Tao Jun's plan is indeed long-term. He turned his head and asked Guo Mo: "Can you order Liu Yang and the others to chase after him, so that Shi Hu can't gain a foothold, and even break into Xihe County in advance?" ”

Guo Mo glanced at Yang Qing, which means: I didn't think about it well, you are the most adaptable, it is better for you to answer the question of the Grand Duke. If you want to talk about Yang Qing's deputy, Guo Sidao is quite comfortable, much more comfortable than when Chen An held this position. One Xiao Yang is indeed capable, even calculating grain and writing official documents is better than Guo Molai; Second, although Xiao Yang is the in-law of the Grand Governor, he only puts up a fight in front of his subordinates, and he is still more respectful to the chief official—even a little flattering—Guo Mo is proud of his hard work, and he is not afraid that he will climb on his head.

At least in the past few years, after all, Xiao Yang is young and has shallow qualifications; Moreover, after the Guanzhong system was perfected, the governor of the capital no longer arbitrarily promoted private individuals, and there was no need for new officials-such as domestic slaves like Pei Lin and Pei Du.

Yang Qing really knew the opportunity, so he nodded first, then turned to Pei Gai, and said: "The last general and Guo Bupeng have planned before...... "Actually, no, they just considered losing the battle according to Pei Gai's instructions, and they didn't study what to do if they won the battle in the short term-"If Shi Hu retreats, he will not be able to gain a foothold in front of the mountain......"

While pondering, he made up the words: "My family's fortress is located in the south of the mountain, its back is broad, the front is dangerous, if the thief comes over the mountain, he will be hit hard......" Speaking of this, he couldn't help but smile slightly bitterly: "Who would have thought that Shi Hu would fill the trench with his corpse, and his ferocity would be so cruel!" ”

Talking about the previous situation, and then cursing Shi Hu a few words, Xiao Yang's thinking was basically clear, so he continued: "If Shi Hu retreats to Shannan and wants to rebuild my old base, then General Beigong and General Chen can lead the cavalry to cover and harass him, so that he cannot gain a foothold. However, if the thieves retreat to the north of the mountain and set up a camp, it will be inconvenient for the cavalry to attack beyond the mountain, and the foot soldiers will be slow to move, and I am afraid that they will not be able to help urgently. After a pause, he said: "Actually, from Pingyang Jiebao to Chang'an, I will wait for the Governor of Dadu to plan again, and then order Pingyang, it is already slow......"

Pei Gai asked: "What does Qing mean, should the front-line generals plan independently?" Unfortunately, this plan could not be made in advance. ”

Yang Qingxin said that if we have made a similar plan, it is impossible to hide it from you, but...... Who would have thought that Shi Hu would be defeated so quickly? Don't you often say that guy is brave and very good at fighting? It is you who have misled us, and the fault is not in the cardinal. I was wondering whether I should argue a few words, or should I pretend that I didn't hear the last sentence of the Metropolitan Governor and answer his previous question directly? Just listened to Pei Wei interject:

"I don't know anything about military affairs, but looking at the good news from Pingyang, the victory in this battle is not a fluke. First, the elite of our army, the soldiers use their lives, and occupy the geographical advantage, purely to take advantage of the situation, the thief is easy to overcome, then the face of the wall and frustration, will inevitably be demoralized, if there is an opportunity to fight back, you can get great benefits. Second, Da Sima set up a cardinal department, and planned and made plans in every possible way in the war and materials, while Shi Hu was purely impromptu and planned, and there must be something thoughtless, how could he not be defeated? ”

Speaking of this, he smiled at Guo Mo: "Qing and the others are naturally better than staying in the marquis, but they can gather their armpits into a fur, and everyone works together, or they can fight against it." And Shi Hu is reckless, Zhang Bin is not there, and there is no wise man among the thieves, how can he be the enemy of Qing and others? ”

Guo Mo gratefully arched his hand towards Pei Wei, and said in his heart that he really deserved to be Mr. Pei, a handsome family, and even the governor of the capital was deeply admired by his uncle, you listen to how loud this afterthought is. And when we gather together, we are compared to staying with Zhang Liang, the implication is that he wants to be Prime Minister Xiao, and most of them will be governors......

I heard Pei Wei continue: "Da Sima also often admonishes the generals, although there is a cardinal strategy, after all, the cardinal is not in the front, even if it is a hundred calculations, the manpower is sometimes poor, and it is inevitable that there will be some omissions. I think Liu Yang and Beigong Chun are both generals, and they must not sit back and watch Shi Hu set up a base in the south of the mountain, or force themselves to attack the north of the mountain.

"It should be reported to Pingyang urgently about the plan, and whether it is slow or not depends on the generals of Pingyang."

——————————

In Pingyang, naturally, at the same time as the good news was issued, they gathered to discuss, Shihu was defeated, should we chase it or not?

In fact, Liu Yang himself does not advocate pursuit, and it is unexpected for him to be able to hit Shi Hu hard this time, and he is a little worried about adding to the snake and suffering setbacks. As for the reinforcements stationed in Yaoci, the losses were quite heavy, and after days of fierce fighting, the soldiers were exhausted, so Wang Ze also echoed Liu Yang, at least - if I want to chase you, I can't chase you.

Beigong Chun pursued him, especially Chen An was still floating outside, refusing to come back, maybe he was going to bite Shi Hu's tail, how could he be willing to descend?

According to the old rules, Yao Yizhong followed the middle and the mud, he first said: "Although the thieves are defeated, there are more soldiers and horses than me, if we retreat to the mountain pass and rely on the strong to defend, I am afraid that our army will be difficult to defeat and will be easily defeated." ”

But then the conversation changed, and he said: "However, if you don't pursue it, let it recover slowly, and even get reinforcements from Taiyuan soldiers and grain, I'm afraid it will come again before the autumn harvest, which is not good for me." ”

Liu Yang glanced at him: "What does Zeqing mean, is it to chase or not?" ”

Yao Yizhong replied: "The intention of the last general is to chase, but not far away." If they set up a stronghold in the south of the mountain, and approach to fight, and the thief dares to come out of the stronghold, he will cut and trample on it, but he must not go to the fortified wall; If Shihu retreats to the north of the mountain road, be careful not to cross the mountain, but recover the old fortress in front of the mountain to make a confrontation. General Liu is still guarding Pingyang, not to move lightly, wait for the headquarters of Wang and Mo to rest for some time, and then go to the cavalry. ”

He also thought that Liu Yang was too cautious and refused to leave Pingyang lightly, so he deliberately gave him a step down. Who would have thought that after thinking about it repeatedly, Liu Yetang finally decided to chase! Not only is Beigong Chun going, but I also have to go, isn't Wang Ze's department tired? Then it would be good to leave him to guard Pingyang City.

The main Liu Yang saw that Beigong Chun looked eager to fight, knowing that he couldn't stop it, and Chen An was still floating outside and refused to come back, he was worried that these two reckless men would go out to chase the enemy, and they would be careless and lose the chain for a while, and as a result, they would suffer a big defeat. In this way, it gave Shi Hu the opportunity to reorganize his troops and horses and boost his morale, not to mention, he was the number one military leader in Pingyang after all, and he would inevitably be affected by them. It's better for me to follow, although I am similar to Beigong Chunming, but I am the front-line commander of the Metropolitan Governor, and I can always stop one or two in case of trouble, and I can help them wipe their butts even if it is not good.

Anyway, Shi Hu was defeated, and he didn't dare to attack Pingyang City again in the short term, so it should be safe for Wang Ze and Mo Huaizhong's six or seven thousand remnants to defend the city.

So the army drove out of the city, so that Beigong Chun led the cavalry first, Liu Yang was in the center, and Yao Yizhong responded - by the way, Xiao Yao was also responsible for sending the captured cattle and sheep to Pingyang City, so as not to be fished back by Shi Hu - and made Lu Songduo bring armored cavalry to protect the Chinese army, and the mighty and straight to the north to kill.

On the way, he received a report from Chen An, and sure enough, Shi Hu set up camp in front of the mountain. In fact, it is relatively unfavorable for the Zhao soldiers who are eager to get replenishment, and the only advantage is that as long as the camp is firmly established, they are not afraid of the enemy attacking from all sides, which is convenient for the soldiers to rest and recuperate, and their morale is restored. The main Shi Hu was unwilling to be defeated and had no intention of withdrawing his troops, so he patrolled the territory of Pingyang and did not go, waiting for the opportunity to make a comeback. If it is really to retreat to the north of the mountain road and return to Xihe County, it is estimated that the soldiers will not have the heart to fight again.

Chen An led more than 1,000 cavalry, and he was far behind the Zhao army, not only keeping a certain distance, but also being able to run at any time, and as long as he charged, he could reach the Zhao camp. During this period, Shi Hu also wanted to send people out to collect cattle and sheep, but they were all scattered by Chen Anfang's cavalry, so he had to retreat to the south of the mountain with empty hands...... Counting the food in the army, it is less than half a month's need, and it can only be expected that Wang Xu will hurry back from Jinyang to carry the grain.