Su Jun was not wrong in judging one point, Shi Zhao was tired of attacking this time, and he did have the heart to win. Because even if you don't plan to build a long defense line including Taihang and the Yellow River, but if you want the whole division to bet on it and cover Luoyang, you must first pull out the thorn in the flesh of the disgusting times. Otherwise, if when the army is surging westward, Shao Xu's troops cut off the back road between Xiangguo and Handan, how can it be good?

Therefore, according to Zhang Jing's plan, he must first attack with all his strength, and if he can overcome the best situation, otherwise, especially Su Jun and others or the Jin Zhong army will come to help, he will have to be forced to leave a force of soldiers and horses to contain it.

As a result, Shi Leqin led a large army to attack Yici, first successfully uprooted the fortress outside the city, and then surrounded the city. Feng Long thought that there would only be Li Han in the future, so he rashly crossed north to reinforce, but encountered the main force of the Qian army, resulting in a crushing defeat, and the "revenge army" was almost wiped out.

The Luoyang Imperial Court got the report, and the elders immediately gathered together to discuss, most of the people's thoughts were the same as Su Jun, Shi Le was planning to build a defensive line, in order to defend it for a long time, so he first went all out to attack the times. Xun Di said: "Shi Le is brave and irresistible, so it is better to order Shao Si Zu Nan to return." ”

Yin Qiao objected to this, saying: "Don't do it, you should save it!" If the thieves are tired of the times, then the advance can threaten Qing and Xu, and the retreat can consolidate the river defense, so that our army will not be easy to enter, and I am afraid that the recovery of Hebei will be more resistant. Besides, Shao Sizu is more than five years old, once he loses it, isn't it a pity? If the court orders him to abandon the land, but causes the heirs to resent and rebel, it will do great harm......"

Zuna shook his head and said, "The heir is loyal and brave, and he will not be rebellious." However, what Yin Shangshu said is that if you are tired of it, it will cause great damage to the country, and it is better to send troops to save it. ”

Xun Di spread his hands and said: "General Zu is seriously ill, and the Chinese army has no owner, so it is better to lead the army to save the tired times?" If you can't convince the public with his people, you will eventually have to face Shile directly, and it may be difficult to be competent. Wouldn't it be even more detrimental to the overall situation if it was defeated? ”

In the ancestral army, the only ones with the highest status and prestige below the ancestors are Li Ju and Wei Gai, but let's not mention that Li Ju is still in Hanoi, facing a strong enemy, it is inconvenient to summon him to return to the court, even if he comes back, Li and Wei have both suffered defeats in front of Shi Le, so how can they be sent to meet Shi Le? After all, Xun Daoxuan is not very familiar with military affairs, so his idea of winning or losing the military battle is very simple, the tiger eats the leopard, the leopard eats the bobcat, the lynx eats the chicken, and the chicken eats the worm.

Of course, what is more important is that there is no No. 2 person in the ancestral army, even if Li Ju and Wei Gai are not enough to control the generals in terms of their taste, if the imperial court is temporarily promoted to a high position, then it will always take time to establish prestige and restrain the ministries. Now that Zu Shizhi occupies the pit but doesn't, others really can't mention it.

Zu Na couldn't help but sigh and said: "It was because of the old Na that he asked for the return of the young soldiers, in order to control the Chinese army, but unfortunately the servants were not allowed...... "Zu Yue is Zu Li's brother after all, and he has some experience in fighting, if he is allowed to sit in the position of commander for a few months, it is estimated that the Chinese army will not be so scattered."

Xun Di squinted at Zuna, and said in a low voice: "I'm afraid that it will be difficult for Brother Ling to be his ......."

Liang Yun made a suggestion: "Why don't you summon Wang Chuzhong to come and bring the Chinese army, but what?" ”

If you want to say that the military commander of the Jin Dynasty is today, the highest ranking is naturally Pei Gai, followed by Zu Li, and the third is Wang Dun's turn - although Sima Rui also has the title of general and governor, but no one really treats him as a general. In particular, Jiankang and Chang'an once lived in discord, and Wang Chuzhong held male soldiers in his hands, crisscrossing the river, and was always a thorn in the heart of the imperial court. Therefore, when Liang Fen was still in the past, he had discussed with Liang Yun and others, saying that sooner or later he would find an opportunity to summon Wang Dun to return to the dynasty and separate his generals, so that the power of the imperial court could reach out to Jiangnan.

Without waiting for Xun Di to express his position, Yin Qiao shook his head first and said: "Even if Wang Chuzhong is really willing to take office, it will take several months for the mission to be exchanged, and I am afraid that I will fall into the hands of thieves sooner rather than later." ”

Everyone discussed and decided, and finally Shangshu Zuocheng Wang Zhuo came up with the idea and said: "Why don't you go to your grandfather and ask him to appoint a commander?" ”

Wang Zhuo was not qualified to attend this meeting, although the left and right sides of the taste are the same as Shangshu, but theoretically only responsible for the general affairs of the province, to put it bluntly, is to do administrative work, not to participate in the formulation of major policies. But after all, Wang Zhuo's family and title are high, he came out of the Taiyuan Wang clan and attacked the prince of Jingling County, which made Xun Di and others have to look at each other differently, and they will be allowed to listen to the meeting.

According to Wang Zhuo's meaning, Zu Ti can be asked to determine a temporary commander, and Zu Shizhi will endorse him, which may be able to convince the generals - at least they don't dare to die easily. Xun Di, aren't you worried that the new commander of the imperial court will be difficult to convince the public, which will affect the smooth progress of the war? Yin Qiao and the others, aren't they worried that directly skipping Zu Ti to appoint the commander of the Chinese army will cause the Zu family's dissatisfaction? I have both sides of the idea, I don't know what the public thinks?

Xun Di pondered for a long time, and finally said: "What the prince said is reasonable...... In fact, he has long wanted to snatch the position of commander of the Chinese army from Zu Li, but the number of capable people in Xun's bag is limited, and as for the handsome talent, he is completely underserved, so he has been hesitantly delayed until today.

If Zu Ti is asked to appoint an heir, it will definitely not be the Xun Party, even after Zu Ti's death, it is estimated that it will be difficult for this Chinese army to fall into the hands of the Xun clan again, Wang Zhuo's suggestion was originally unfavorable to the Xun clan. However, the soldiers are in danger and the war is fierce, in fact, Luoyang is not very far from the Qiang army - in Hanoi, across the river, there is a Zhao army stationed - Xun Di sometimes thinks: It is better for Brother Jing You to flee to Chang'an, which is more stable and comfortable...... In order to ensure the stability of Luoyang, he had no choice but to pinch his nose and agree to Wang Zhuo's proposal.

That is, please Wang Zhuo: "I still hope that the prince will go on this trip for the country, and don't shirk." ”

Wang Zhuo received the order, and immediately drove to the ancestral mansion to ask for a meeting. Zu Lian, Zu Ji and other sons and nephews went out to greet them and led them to Zu Li's sickbed.

I saw that Zu Shizhi's face was as white as paper, his breath was heavy, and it seemed that it was difficult to get up, so he could only slightly stiffen his neck and greet Wang Zhuo. Wang Zhuo inquired about the condition, and Zu Zhuo said with a bitter face: "My father's illness is more serious in the summer, and in autumn, the weather is refreshing, and it is already slightly better." If the prince had come a few days earlier, he would not have been able to speak to him......"

Wang Zhuo sighed and said: "The society has not been restored, the country has something to do, Luoyang is safe, relying on the grandfather, it is a pity that the sky does not bless it, and it is difficult for the public to heal......"

Zu Jian asked: "The prince is here today, is there any movement of the thief?" ”

Wang Zhuo nodded and said: "It's not a secret, Shao Sizu has a letter, and Yun Shile personally attacked the generals." The court or cloud rescue, or the cloud can make the ancestors abandon the city and return to the south to avoid the enemy's edge. However, if you want to save it, there is no commander in the Chinese army, so I came to inquire about my grandfather's illness and ask for advice. ”

Zu Ti took a long breath, and then was a little vague, but said categorically: "No, don't abandon Shao Xu......" His son-in-law Xu Liu helped explain: "Shao Heizu has been in Hebei Yuqian for a long time, and the people's hearts are attached, if he retreats south, I am afraid that the country will lose the hope of the people." Besides, he was tired of it, and Shi Le took care of it after all, and he didn't dare to disturb the whole division; And if there is no tiredness, Yan, Yu and even Qing and Xu will be threatened by it - it is the talent cloud of the old family, and it cannot be abandoned. ”

Wang Zhuo nodded and said, "Ancestor Gong's intention is the same as Yin Shangshu and others. However, it is difficult for the public to get up today, and he can't control the Chinese army, and outside the public, I'm afraid that no one is up to this important task - Da Sima has to get Taiyuan, wave his army to Jinyang, and he will not return to Chang'an. Of course, with the size of the country, there are naturally a lot of heroes, but I am afraid that when he first arrived in the Chinese army, his position is difficult to convince the public, resulting in low morale. That's why I was ordered to ask my grandfather, is there a suitable candidate for the temporary command of the Chinese army? ”

After a pause, he asked again: "Ling Lang is it?" ”

Zu Ti shook his head lightly: "It's young, and he has no authority...... he seems to be unable to say anything anymore, so he has to squint at Xu Liu.

Xu Liu glanced at Zu Zhuo first, and then explained to Wang Zhuo: "My father-in-law also talked to us about this matter before. Sheng Zhong (Zu Lian) is loyal and simple, and his temperament is quite Xiao Zhang, so the young man has no prestige, and he can't ...... the army."

In his youth, although he "smelled the chicken and danced", he was interested in the royal family, but in fact, he took the literary route, first made the main book of Sizhou, and later was valued by Sima Jian, the king of Qi, Sima Yi, the king of Changsha, Sima Chi, the king of Yuzhang, etc., and successively served as the general of the Great Sima Mansion, the hussar general's mansion sacrificial wine, the main book, the prince of the middle house, the Yuzhang palace engaged in Zhonglang and other positions, until the age of nearly forty, he followed Sima Yue and began to lead the troops to fight.

Zu Ti's evaluation of his past experience is not that he once lacked experience as a general, but that he has an ordinary appearance, a loyal personality, and no "heavy authority". In other words, his appearance could not give the soldiers a sense of coercion, and he did not have a high gate to rely on, so it was impossible to convince his subordinates by relying on this appearance and temperament when he was young. In turn, you have to be a little older, and after serving for many years, you have gradually accumulated the prestige of middle and high-ranking officials, so that you can pull up a team little by little in Xuzhou and Yuzhou with your bare hands.

And Zu Lian and his appearance and personality are very similar, the only difference is probably to rely on his father, which is convenient for the fox to fake the tiger. Therefore, Zu Ti felt that with the quality of his son, due to fate, he could be the general of the first army, and if he ascended to a high position, the president of the army would not be powerful enough, and it would be difficult to convince the public. Xu Liu, Zu Ji and others have also persuaded many times, with your current power and fame, is it difficult to coax the son up? With you behind your back, are you afraid that he will not be competent? As long as you accompany and cultivate more, you will be able to continue the adult's business one day.

However, Zu Ti said: "I am in the army, and I do not want Sheng Zhong to take me as his father. In the past, the son of the horse was the father's honor and reputation, and finally died in the army, is it a pity for the son? In fact, the son is also harmful! ”

"Ma Fuzi" is Zhao Kuo, and his father Zhao Hao is Zhao's famous general, and he is named "Ma Fujun". Zhao Kuo learned the art of war, "Try to talk about military affairs with his father, luxury can't be difficult", talking about soldiers on paper, even his father can't talk about him. Zhao Hao made a judgment because of this, saying that my son is too proud, too frivolous, and if he looks at military affairs and other children's play, if he leads the army in the future, he will be defeated.

Zu Ti means, if you really love your son, Zhao Kuo should let Zhao Kuo join the army as soon as possible, let him suffer from the army, instead of simply abandoning it, and finally raising his son into a waste. He said that the reason why I let Zu Jian be used in the army is because I want my son to accumulate experience and merits by himself, and not to think about eating his father's. If he is really placed directly in the position of the heir of the ancestral family army instead of just the ancestral family and me, it is easy for him to breed pride and make the generals dissatisfied. This kid can only be like me, slowly honing, and then when he is thirty or forty years old, he may be of great use.

So far, Zu is only in his early twenties, so Zu Li believes that he is not fit to be the commander of the Chinese army, even if only temporarily.

When Wang Zhuo heard this, he couldn't help frowning, so he thought about it for a while, and then asked, "How about Chu Chong?" ”

"Chu Chong" is Zu Ji, the son of Zu Ji. To say that the four brothers of the ancestral family, his uncle and his middle ancestor were all born to his first wife, and his uncle and his Ji Zuyue were born to his second wife; However, Zuna and Zu Yue have no children—there are quite a few daughters—only Zu should give birth to Zu Zhi and Zu Yan, and Zu Qi should give birth to Zu Lian and Zu Da (Daozhong). Zu should have died early, and the Zuzhi brothers lived in accordance with their ancestors, and they all held important positions in the ancestral army.

In addition, there was a Zu Ji, who was the grandson of the uncle of Zu Li's brother - this relationship was called a slave at that time, and later a cousin - he was the oldest in this generation, he was already in his thirties, he was skilled in bow and horse, he was accustomed to fighting, and he was deeply trusted by Zu Ti.

So Wang Zhuo said, if you think your son is young - Zu Lianfang is weak, and Zu Da is still a child - has no prestige and can't convince the public, then it is estimated that Zu Zhi and Zu Yan can't mention it. But what about Zuji? He's not old, isn't he?

Who wants Zu Ti but still shook his head and said: "Chu Zhong is no more than a general in battle, not a strategist and a handsome talent." ”

Wang Zhuoxin said forget it, I don't guess - he arched his hand: "Is there no other person available?" I also hope that my grandfather will think carefully and propose a candidate, which will also make me give an account to the province. ”

Zu Ti slowly closed his eyes and took a few breaths, before he tried to cheer up, opened his eyes and said: "If, if there are no available generals in the imperial court, then temporarily order them to coordinate the Chinese army, save the east from the two, and Yu Shile...... Only, only Ji Zu, or can be ......"

The Ji Zu mentioned is Xu Liu, and he has a double relationship with Zu Li. On the one hand, Xu Liu is the younger brother of the ancestor Xu; On the other hand, Zu Ti saw that this brother-in-law was dignified and easy to learn and understand etiquette, so he married him the daughter born to his first wife, and turned his brother-in-law into his own son-in-law.

When Wang Zhuo heard this, he immediately turned his face away, looked Xu Liu up and down—he was good at getting along—and said, Well, this is reliable.

Xu Liu was born in the Xu clan in Runan, and the Xu Shao Xu Zijun, who likes to evaluate characters and was famous in the Han Dynasty, is his ancestor - so in terms of his background, he was originally a head taller than Fan Yangzu's family. Speaking of duties, Xu Liu saw that he was the hussar general Sima, planning military affairs for Zu Ti, and was regarded as the first adviser of the shogunate; According to the general understanding at that time, the soldiers in charge of logistics were naturally a head taller than the old rough ones who were charging into battle, and the long history was like a deputy marshal, so he was transferred to a military general as a strategist.

In addition, Xu Liu is over thirty years old, with a dignified appearance, not angry and self-assured, compared to Zu Ji and Zu Lianlai, he seems to be easier to be admired by everyone. Therefore, Wang Zhuo was overjoyed and said: "Since the ancestor belongs to Ji Zu, then I should return to the province immediately, report to Xun Servant, and ask the court to issue an edict as soon as possible!" ”

。 m.