The Jiankang regime's Northern Expedition was originally a false story, purely to make Xu and Yu send troops, and they almost did not send a single soldier - the 3,000 soldiers and horses who crossed the river, in the name of protecting the king of the East China Sea, always stayed in Suiyang, and there was no intention of moving forward. Pei Gai once analyzed with Zu Ti that King Langya was just using this to make a name, but in fact, he had no intention of restoring the Central Plains.

Then seeing that the two armies have entered Henan, they are about to fight a decisive battle with the Hu army, and if the decisive battle is lost, they can naturally take the opportunity to turn around and retreat on the whole line, but if it is ...... Did this battle prevail? It will definitely go west to aid Guanzhong. Once Sima Ye is saved, whether he is still in Chang'an or Luoyang, his prestige and power will surely rise, and how can the Jiankang regime deal with himself at that time?

Looking at the degree of crisis, even if Sima Ye still retains the position of prime minister of Sima Rui, it is very likely that he will directly erase his title of governor of eastern Shaanxi, and then the imperial court can send personnel to Si, Yan, Xu, and Henan prefectures to guard it, and even change a few assassins and governors to Jing, Jiang, Hunan, Jiao, Guangzhou and other prefectures, so Sima Rui, Wang Dao and others have been operating in Jiangnan for many years, aren't all in vain?

Therefore, when the news was reported to Jiankang, Wang Dao immediately made a decision and asked Sima Rui to issue an edict to withdraw from the army. This is probably the same time as Pei Gai seized Chenggao Pass and Zu Ti's troops went out of Yuyuan Pass, as for the subsequent Battle of Bishui and Chenggao, because of the distance and inconvenient transportation, Jiankang has not yet been reported.

The edict envoy hurried to the horse, rushed to the Yuanyuan, did not see the figure of the ancestor, and hurriedly ran to the Wu clan, and had to report that the ancestor envoy had gone down to Chenggao, and the soldiers pointed to Luoyang...... I didn't dare to slack off, so I hurriedly ran over to announce the decree. Xu and Yu armies temporarily camped in the southwest of Luoyang, only Pei, Zu and a few other people entered the ruins to hang, and the edict envoy was also tired, so he didn't chase into the city.

As soon as the four words of the pawn who was ordered to deliver the message "edict to withdraw the army" came out, Zu Ti was immediately stunned: "We have destroyed the strong enemy in front of us, the mountains and tombs are to be swept, so the capital needs to be repaired, Henan is already under control, when this is exciting, why do you want to retreat?!" "As soon as you set up your mount, you will go back and ask the messenger for an explanation.

Pei Gai grabbed Zu Ti's horse's head and said, "Zu Jun is slow. Then he waved his hand, retreated from the people, and then lowered his voice and asked Zu Li: "If you return to the camp, you will listen to the decree, will you obey the order or not?" I'll make a decision first. ”

Zu Ti said that he didn't know what the situation was, and he didn't know what King Langya was for, ordering us to retreat...... Looking at Pei Gai's expression, he seemed to be smiling rather than smiling, and he couldn't help but "tsk": "As Wenyue said, Jiankang has no intention of recovering, but he is in a hurry to retreat, and he must say something, otherwise, it will be a chaotic life, and I will not obey it!" ”

The front line is fighting well, you can't ask me to wait for the troops to retire without any reason, otherwise "the general will be outside, and the king's order will not be affected", I can completely treat it as if I didn't hear it.

Pei Gai smiled: "Wang Daosu shows himself as a loyal elder, and everything he does must be reasonable, and he has no excuse to retire from the army?" If he said...... or Jing, Hunan, Jiao, Guangzhou, and there is chaos, and even the southern raccoon dog causes chaos and threatens Jiankang, so it is not unreasonable to order the troops to retreat. If he is reasonable, the ancestor is obedient or not? ”

Zu Ti shook his head and said resolutely: "If there is chaos in Jiangdong, there are Wang Maohong, Wang Chuzhong and others presiding, and we have never planned Jiangnan affairs, so why should we withdraw from the army to help?" Even if they are born with this excuse, I will not return! ”

In fact, when the troops were first dispatched, Zu Ti did not expect the situation to come to this point, his original plan was to enter Henan and fight with the main force of Hu and Han. However, he did not expect that the combat effectiveness of the Xuzhou soldiers was far above his expectations, and the Hu Han Dynasty inexplicably started infighting, which led to Liu Cang's retreat, Liu Fu gave the head, and estimated that Liu Yao would also withdraw from the siege of Chang'an and rush back to Pingyang to fight for power. Once you miss it, wait until the chaos stops, whether it is Liu Cang to fight for Henan again, or Liu Yao to attack Chang'an again, the situation is likely to return to the original point if you are not careful.

After all, the cities of Henan are ruined, the people are displaced, and the main forces of Xu and Yu retreat, and it is difficult for them to hold on to Li Ju and Wei alone-you can't support them too many soldiers and horses, even if you give it, where will the grain and grass come from? It is still unknown whether Chang'an can rely on this period of respite for which the length of time is still unknown, and whether it can fight hard and gather to wait for the enemy.

Therefore, if the war in Henan does not go well, if you don't tell me to retreat, maybe I will have to retreat; Now that the war is going well, it is the time to pursue the victory and expand the results of the battle, Jiankang suddenly ordered to withdraw the troops? A fool will listen to you!

However, Pei Gai reminded Zu Ti: "Today, the king of Langya is the governor of eastern Shaanxi, east of Yongzhou, and if he does not obey the order, he may become a traitor." And our main forces are all in Henan, if Jiankang sends troops to the north and takes Huaiyin directly, and Wang Chuzhong leads the soldiers on the river to dig our foundation to Qian County, what should we do? And most of the king's department is the lord of Yan and Yuwu Fort, in the past, he was responsible for the righteousness, and he had to go to the levy as a last resort. ”

When Zu Ti heard this, he couldn't help but tighten his eyebrows and groaned.

Regarding what methods Jiankang might use to restrain the Northern Expedition, Pei should be vigilant, and often secretly consult with Pei Wei to seek countermeasures, Wang Dao directly asked the Northern Expeditionary Army to retreat, which was naturally expected - but I didn't expect the withdrawal order to come so quickly. At the moment, Zu Ti was silent, Pei Gai didn't speak, just looked at him wordlessly, after a while, Zu Ti slowly raised his head and glanced at Pei Gai: "Wenyue is well planned, there must be a countermeasure, please consult me." ”

Pei Gai smiled bitterly and shook his head: "There is a countermeasure, it is impossible to say that it is ...... perfect."

He said first of all, we have to have the determination to abandon the altars and jars, I don't want Xuzhou, you don't want Yuzhou, quickly send someone to take out all the families of himself and the generals, and from then on take root in the Central Plains. Secondly, it is best to send a group of soldiers and horses to Suiyang as soon as possible, detain Sima Qi, the king of the East China Sea, and take him as a hostage, so as to talk to Jiankang about the conditions. As for the third—

"When you send Chang'an urgently, please ask the Son of Heaven to leave me in the Central Plains, so that there is no risk of being a traitor!"

Zu Ti nodded first, and then raised his doubts: "Yuzhou is lost, and it is enough, Qing has been operating in Xuzhou for several years, with deep roots and abundant reserves, if it is taken for Jiankang, it will be difficult to support tens of thousands of soldiers and horses with only the scorched earth of Henan......"

Pei Gai said: "This is also a helpless thing, and if we act quickly, the Son of Heaven issued an edict, and we are still the governors of Qingxu and Yanyu, then the two states may not be lost." ”

Zu Ti hesitated and said: "I used the plan of the document to send an envoy to Chang'an to ask the Son of Heaven to grant the festival, but until now, there is no news...... Can the edict of the Son of Heaven be in a hurry? ”

Pei Gai smiled: "Zu Jun was in a state of confusion, and he didn't see ...... in front of his eyelashes."

Why did we send an envoy to Chang'an to ask for a scepter, but we didn't get a reply for a long time? That's because the straight road to Chang'an is not passable, and he was forced to return to Xiangcheng in the south, make a big circle from the north of Jingzhou, and go to Wuguan through Wanxian County to reach Tongguan - when Sima Ye fled from Luoyang to Chang'an, this is the way he took - after that, Liu Yi occupied Huayin, blocking the passage to the west into the pass, and the messenger estimated that he would have to go further and detour...... At this time, it is difficult to say whether he has arrived in Chang'an or not, and whether he has seen the Son of Heaven or not.

But now in the two counties of Henan and Hongnong, there are no large-scale Hu and Han soldiers and horses, and if Liu Yi wants to go back to Pingyang to "Qingjun side", he will inevitably leave Huayin - even if he stays there, thousands of defeated soldiers, what is there to fear? We can go west from Luoyang in a straight line, isn't that a little closer than from here to Jiankang? When we meet the Son of Heaven and ask for an edict, it is estimated that the news that we will not obey the order has just been transmitted back to Jiankang, and Wang Dao They want to move troops to Jiangbei, don't they need to prepare and organize again?

Zu Ti suddenly realized, and couldn't help laughing: "It's messed up, I can't think about it, I'm ashamed." ”

Pei Caixin said that you have nothing to be ashamed of, do you think that in just these few minutes, I can think about all aspects clearly? The key is that although you are not a chick for political struggle, you don't spend your energy on intrigue and intrigue on the first, and secondly, you are obsessed with the authorities, and you still have some illusions about the bureaucrats of Jiankang; I'm different, according to the historical records, I have long seen those shameless faces clearly, how did your ancestor Shizhi die of grief later? Why did Guo Mo and Su Jun rebel? Even though it is the back car, this is all in my mind, how can I not think about it in advance?

In addition, Pei Wei's guy is not an ordinary person, there are not many conspiracies and tricks, and he is quite far-sighted to deal with court disputes and all kinds of constraints, so I have already planned with him many times, because of the abdominal case, so as not to be temporarily blinded.

In fact, the edict to withdraw from the army was expected by us, but I always thought that the Jiankang regime would be busy making this decision until the news of Yanshi's victory came back - I didn't expect them to move so fast, and I really didn't plan to leave us with any chance! If the good news reached Jiankang, he would have ordered the troops to retreat, and it was estimated that the forwards of the Northern Expeditionary Army had already entered the customs, so when it came to this matter, Pei Wei smiled and said, "Don't worry." "When the time comes, the edict of the Son of Heaven will not be more effective than your King Langya's decree?

Since the other party is one step ahead, Pei Cai must respond urgently. Is he really willing to let the foundation of Xuzhou be taken away by Jiangdong, and tens of thousands of soldiers and horses will have to be fed by others at that time? Moreover, although most of the Xuzhou soldiers are not native to Xuzhou, their families are basically in Xuzhou, if Xuzhou changes hands, how can Pei should ensure the loyalty of these soldiers?

Therefore, Pei should first remind Zu Ti that he had the plan to smash the altars and jars and find another way out, but then said that as long as we move fast enough, Xu and Yu may not be lost. If the Son of Heaven had agreed, the Jiankang regime would no longer dare to invade Jiangbei with open fire - if there was really the determination to resist the decree, the bureaucrats would have already put Sima Rui on the throne of the emperor, so as not to wait for Chang'an to fall and Sima Ye to be captured.

I heard Zu Ti say: "Henan has not yet been decided, and it is related to the transportation route, so it should not be abandoned." In this way, Wen Yue and defend Henan, I will go west to Hongnong, looking for an opportunity to enter the customs......"

Pei Cai waved his hand: "No, it should be calmed by Zujun in Henan, and it should be west to enter the Guanzhong." ”

Zu Ti asked why? The land of Zhongzhou, Henan, is much farther away from your base camp Huaiyin than from my base camp Qiaoxian, and at present, Yan and Yufu are empty, and the successor grain has to be shipped from Xuzhou, so it is much more useful for you to stay in Henan than me.

Pei Cai smiled and raised three fingers: "It's only because of three things, so you should enter the customs." ”

The first thing is that the military category in Yuzhou is complicated, just like Pei Gai just said, if those dock fort masters heard about the order to retire, would they still be willing to follow Zu Ti? "If the ancestor exerts coercion, he may be able to make them stay in Henan, but if he drives them westward again, who is willing to follow?"

Zu Ti's face turned blue and he was silent.

The second point, Pei Gai said, I have more cavalry than you, so it is convenient to run long distances and enter the customs as soon as possible-" I said to Zu Jun before, Guo Sidao led Beigong Chun to return, all the troops were ridden, plus the cavalry of the headquarters, and three thousand could be obtained in a moment. Now we are fighting with Jiankang, if I enter the customs first, Jiankang's plans will come to naught; If Jiankang first spread that he would defile us as a traitor, I am afraid that I and my ancestors will die and have no place to be buried! ”

Finally, the third point: "The situation in Guanzhong, the former also made it clear to Zu Jun that Suo Juxiu abused his power and the king of Nanyang was divided, and the ministers had their own private intentions and disregarded official affairs. If you enter the customs to see the Son of Heaven, and Suo Juxiu thinks that only by cutting off our foundation can we be subordinated to Chang'an, and put it in the palm of his hand, then he will be perfunctory and refuse to give an edict. ”

Zu Ti shook his head, and then asked, "What is Wenyue's plan?" ”

Pei should say that I don't have any plans, but the soldiers will come to block it, and the water will come to the earth, and I will adapt to the situation - "However, I should end up as a high-grade wealthy family, a knight and a county duke, the legacy of my father, planted all over the government and the opposition, and there was a discussion of the lord in the past...... How is Suo Juxiu like a person? He is good at government affairs, but he is just a force and has not won the hearts of the people. Now that I have raised my troops to enter the customs, its strength is not enough for the enemy and us, and its power is not enough to overpower me, but it can be broken between the bottles. ”

Pei Gaiguang said that his family is high and his status is expensive, but he is actually hinting - Zujun, your identity is not enough to fight Suo Qi. The Fan Yang Zu clan is just a local wealthy family, and it is a little stronger than the Suo family in Kansai, so now Suo Qi's reputation is much higher than yours, can you hold your head up in front of him? How are you going to deal with him? Unless there is a battle between them, can you make this decision?

Pei should be different, when he went to Jiangdong, except for Langya Wang's family, he almost had no relatives, just Wei's and Du's kittens, and if they didn't squeeze into the Jiankang center, it was impossible to become an arm helper. But it is different in the customs, today's Chang'an regime, half of the court is Suo Qi and other new generations, but half of them are all old ministers left over from the Hui Emperor era, and there are inextricable links with the Pei family in Hedong, Pei should have the opportunity to encircle and fight against Suo Qi together.

He laid out the facts, reasoned, and finally persuaded Zu Ti. Zu Shizhi sighed: "In this way, you can only rely on Wenyue's strategy." Then he shook his head fiercely: "A hundred bloody battles, the beginning and the old capital, who wants to do this!" ”

Pei Gai couldn't help but turn his head and face the west, and said in his heart I'm coming, Sima Ye, you are saved-but I don't know what kind of style Chang'an is today, I won the battle on the battlefield, but in the treacherous political struggle, can I also win?