At the end of May, as the Hedong army conquered the city in Hanoi and besieged the defeated Zhang Yang in Yewang City, the Hongnong envoys who took advantage of the fire to rob also arrived in a light car, crossed the river, and came to Anyi.

Anyi, on the lobby of the county hall.

Yan Xingzheng, dressed in official robes and ribbons, sat on the top, and the civil and military forces in Hedong sat in two columns in the hall, and everyone's eyes were fixed on this Hongnong messenger, and some of the generals were about to burst into flames, their fists were clenched, and they had the intention of devouring this Hongnong messenger alive.

"Honorable envoy, General Zhendong's demands are too much, where is this borrowing grain and road from my Hedong, this is clearly trying to take advantage of my Hedong to send troops to Hanoi, and when the expedition is unjust, he wantonly embezzles my Hedong, the ink of the alliance between the two families still exists, and General Zhendong is forced to turn his face like this, isn't he afraid that the people of the world will laugh at him, and he is not worried that the Chang'an court will blame him?"

Zhou Liang got up and stood in the hall, this Hongnong envoy was still received into the city, but from the beginning of the intention was secretive, saying that he must meet with Hedong Taishou and Pingbei generals before he can explain General Zhendong's request to Hedong.

Although he had long expected that the Hongnong envoy who came at this time was not good, and there would never be a good thing, Zhou Liang did not expect that this time Hongnong's side was hiding swords and soldiers under completely harsh requirements, and he was almost going to turn his face directly and send troops to attack.

500,000 stone military rations, this is simply gluttonous appetite, Hedong last year of hard work in the field and accumulation of valleys for a year, plus there are no natural and man-made disasters, Yan Xing restrained the use of troops, there was no large-scale outbreak of war, but it was just for the turn of spring and summer this year, attacking Hanoi Zhang Yang and Lu Bu, saving nearly one million stone grain.

This batch of grain will be used for the current war in Hanoi, as well as post-war rewards, bereavements, relief, and investment in restoring people's livelihood and production in Henan.

Zhang Ji asked for so much food when he opened his mouth, obviously he wanted to tear his face, and he robbed it.

And by going through Henan, it is even more vicious. If the matter of grain can still be delayed, then the matter of sending troops to Henan, Zhang Ji has already played the pretense of "the military situation is like fire, and it is urgent", and he can indulge the iron cavalry to gallop across Henan, trample on Henan, and then use Henan as a springboard to meddle in the war in Hanoi, so that the Hedong army will fall short and return defeated.

There will be no chance for Hedong to breathe and ease up, and at this most critical juncture between the two sides, they will either accept Hongnong's various harsh and unreasonable demands, or face Hongnong's aggressive soldiers!

Hongnong's envoy Kong Wu is powerful, and he is obviously a military officer in the army. He had no fear, kept in mind Zhang Ji's instructions, and saw the reaction of Hedong Wenwu in the hall, and then said with a smile:

"Zhou Jun's words are wrong, borrowing grain, General Zhendong has the intention of leading the army to eat Nanyang at the beginning of spring, but the military food is not enough, and it has not been able to make the trip, and now Hedong can send troops to conquer Zhang Yang and Lu Bu in Hanoi, obviously the county has a lot of hoarding, and the two families have the friendship of the alliance, so what can they do with borrowing some military food?"

"As for the matter of borrowing the road, General Pingbei runs Henan, doesn't he also need to borrow the road from my Hongnong by land, from Nanyang, Henan, the road is closer, which is conducive to my Hongnong's army trekking out, why did he turn his face and force it? Please also teach me Zhou Jun! ”

Hongnong's envoy had a smiling face, and his words were rough and sparse as a military official, and he didn't quote scriptures like a scribe, but the more straightforward and simple his words were, the more there were no loopholes to question, and it seemed that everything was as it should be.

Zhao Hong heard the defense of Hongnong's envoy, sneered, and also said out loud:

"The Venerable Envoy has a word, but this plan for the beginning of spring can be delayed until now, and borrowing grain and borrowing the road is just to take the trouble to pick a good time when Hedong and Hanoi are fighting!"

If it is placed before the war between Hedong and Hanoi, Hedong can completely cope with the delay in borrowing grain, and even if Zhang Ji's army is allowed to pass on the borrowed road, Zhang Ji will also worry about whether Hedong will take the opportunity to cut off his back road.

But at the moment, it is a fatal thing. The battle situation in Hanoi has entered a stalemate stage, and at this time, whether there is a shortage of military rations or Zhang Ji's army suddenly appears in the rear, these two situations will easily cause the Hedong army to be in turmoil and turn victory into defeat.

This kind of result is by no means acceptable to the Hedong side.

No matter how the envoys sent by Zhang Ji defended themselves, the reasonableness of their demanding demands on the Hongnong side, in terms of timing alone, was a sinister intention, and it was obvious that it was exposed.

Hongnong's envoy simply laughed a few times and stopped speaking, but turned to look at Yan Xing, who was in the upper position, and waited for him to reply to Hongnong's request.

Yan Xing did not express his position immediately, but the Gong Cao Wei of the county government came forward, he did not question the Hongnong envoy like Zhou Liang and Zhao Hong, but said with a kind smile:

"This matter is very important, the prince still needs to discuss with the county government Pengshi, the envoy may wish to go to the city post house to rest first, and after the government decides, then ask the envoy to come and reply to Hongnong's request."

"Okay, if General Pingbei and the monarchs need to discuss, then discuss, in the next is just under the order of General Zhendong, come to inform it, now that the mission is completed, I will also leave in the next, General Pingbei has decided how to do it, and I will send an envoy to meet General Zhendong in Hongnong!"

Hearing that Wei Qi wanted to use the strategy of delaying the army, he first stabilized himself, and the Hongnong envoy, who had been entangled in the hall for a long time, estimated that the mission had been achieved, and the foundation of Hedong was basically clear, haha smiled, and he didn't care about the excuses, but said goodbye directly, and he didn't want to stay in Hedong anymore, so he had to leave straight away and leave.

Yan Xing and other generals in the hall had been patient for a long time, and when they saw that the Hongnong envoy did not agree with him, he no longer cared about Yan Xing's face, and he wanted to leave with his sleeves in a hasty salute, and he couldn't help but be furious, Huo Ran got up and wanted to take down the other party.

"Presumptuous, this is the Hedong County Government, how can you allow the erection to run rampant, let me stop!"

As soon as the generals and colonels in Hedong stood up, their tongues bloomed with spring thunder, and the hall was full of sounds. Although the Hongnong envoy was born as a military official and had some courage, he didn't dare to act rashly for a while, he just pretended to be calm, looked at the angry Hedong general, barely squeezed out a smile on his face, and asked coldly:

"Why, General Pingbei has to detain the envoy above the lobby with this amount of equipment?"

"Presumptuous!"

"Bold!"

Yan Xing and Xu Kun shouted violently, furious, and had already taken a step forward, wanting to take down the Hongnong envoy and wait for Yan Xing to fall. At this time, Yan Xing, who had been silent, finally spoke, and he said steadily:

"Ji Qi, Ziyu, don't be reckless, go back!"

Hearing the voice of Yan Xing from above, he had already strode in front of the Hongnong envoy, and he almost stretched out his hand to press Xu Kun and Yan Xing's movements, paused, and then followed Yan Xing's order and retreated again.

Hongnong's envoy saw that Yan Xing didn't want to be angry with him, and his face relaxed slightly, but after such a small episode, the atmosphere in the hall was tense, but he didn't dare to be as presumptuous as at the beginning, and left directly.

The focus of Yan Xing's gaze was never on the Hongnong envoy who was a fox and a fake tiger, he saw the other party's hesitant steps, and knew that the other party was just a vicious dog lackey to rely on, so he simply waved his hand and said:

"Let's go, General Zhendong's meaning, the general is already clear, but please also ask the envoy to go back and tell General Zhendong that if you do more injustice, you will kill yourself, don't say it unpredictably!"

If the Hongnong envoy was allowed to leave by Yan Xing, his hanging heart finally relaxed a little, and he also knew that a messenger like him who took advantage of the fire to rob him, if he met a thunderous general, he would not be able to escape the fate of being killed and venting his anger just now.

Now that he has completed his mission and survived, it is already a blessing to talk about it, but Yan Xing's words are not easy to ponder, and he doesn't know how to respond, so he has to promise verbally first, and then step up his steps and quickly leave the hall.

As soon as the Hongnong envoy left, the civil and military forces in the hall also became noisy. Zhang Ji's intention is clear, if he should accept Hongnong's conditions, he will undoubtedly let the mermaid meat, but he can strongly refuse, face the struggle, and under the unfavorable situation of the army going out, face the soldiers of Hongnong only one river away.

At that moment, some Wenchen suggested that Yan Xing first go to the Chang'an court to impeach Zhang Ji for ignoring the monarch and invading the atrocities of neighboring counties, and then transfer Zhai Hao's troops and horses back to defend Henan, and transfer the armies of Ganling and Xu Huang back to Hedong to defend against the possible invasion of Hongnong's soldiers and horses.

There are also military generals who ask for orders to go to Dayang to set up defenses, and are willing to make a military order to hold the defense line of Dayang before the army takes Zhang Yang of the wild king, and it is recommended to abandon Henan and shrink the strength of the defense line, so as to be able to concentrate forces to counterattack and attack Zhang Ji who took advantage of the weakness after taking Zhang Yang.

Patiently listening to the various suggestions of the subordinate martial arts, Yan Xing's face was solemn, and finally he said calmly:

"At present, Zhang Yang has been besieged by the army of Shusheng and Gongming in Yewang City, and Lu Bu has also fled to Ji County, but he will also fight the trapped beasts, at this time, the soldiers who are out of the army do not avoid the arrows and stones, and fight hard, as a general, I can't go into battle to command, care for the wounded, as a Taishou can't personally wrap the grain, lead the civilian service to deliver grain and grass, it is already a dereliction of duty, and it is absolutely impossible to let the soldiers withdraw hastily because of the deterrence of Hongnong Zhang Ji, and return to the army at great risk."

"Zhang Ji's borrowing of the road and grain this time is nothing more than wanting to take advantage of the fact that my soldiers and horses in Hedong are fighting abroad, and use this as an excuse to lead the army to invade the land east of our Hedong. I have made up my mind to personally lead my army to defend against the invasion of Hongnong's soldiers and horses in the south. ”

Hearing Yan Xing's decision, it immediately made the civil and military forces in the hall a little anxious.

This time, more than 30,000 soldiers and horses have been invested in the battlefield in Hanoi, including elite soldiers and horses such as Gan Ling, Xu Huang, Zhai Hao, etc., and if you add the civilian service of short-distance transportation of grain and grass, there are also 40,000 people.

The soldiers are strong and the horses are strong, and the supply of grain and grass is continuous, which is the reason why the Hedong army was like a rainbow as soon as the war began, fighting Zhang Yang and Lu Bu and retreating one after another.

But because of this, Hedong's current defense force is quite weak. Even if Cao Yuan's Tuntian soldiers from Tuntian in the north were transferred to the south, plus the remaining soldiers and horses in Anyi and the guards drawn from Xie County and Yishi counties, they would only be able to gather 20,000 horses when they were full, and more than half of them were new soldiers who had never been on the battlefield.

With such a force, it is really difficult to defend against Hongnong Zhangji's 50,000 army.

When the armies of Ganling and Xu Huang returned to defend Hedong, they did not give Zhang Ji's army a chance to annex Hedong, but if Yan Xing personally led the army and left Anyi, in case of a small number of enemies and a halberd on the battlefield, then Hedong would have no chance to turn the tables, and the army on the front line of Hanoi might collapse directly and return defeated.

Considering this consequence, many civil and military officials in the hall advised Yan Xing to be restless, sit in Anyi, and send Yan Xing and Xu Kun to lead the army to guard Dayang, or transfer Cao Yuan's Tuntian soldiers to the south, and not to risk their lives and the great cause of Hedong in person.

Yan Xing, Xu Kun and other generals even vied with each other to ask for their lives, made a military order, and led the army to Dayang to deploy defenses along the river, which was bound to defend the southern direction for the east of the river.

However, this time, Yan Xing shook his head, not planning to accept the advice of his subordinate martial arts, he said without changing his color:

"I know the concerns of the second and third sons, it's not that I don't know the disparity between the enemy and us, and the battle array is dangerous, but I personally lead the army, which can boost the morale of the army, so that the hastily assembled soldiers, county soldiers, and tuntian soldiers can command properly, and there will be no phenomenon of not governing each other and chaotic camps."

"Second, at this critical moment, if the army is a lieutenant general and colonel leading the troops, it is inevitable that he will have scruples and dare not let go of his hands and feet, only knowing that the city is defended, even if there are fighters, he will be worried again and again, and even need to send a fast horse back to Anyi to ask for instructions, and I am sitting in the city, not in person, but only through the military report, I don't know much about the battle ahead, and it is more difficult to decide, so that the three armies are hesitant and will only be more dangerous."

"Only if I personally command the army, can I be able to do the army's heart, give orders, send orders, and use troops decisively, so I need to personally lead the troops this time!"

Yan Xing's consideration was thorough and careful, according to Yan Xing's consistent ability and victory in using troops, he was indeed the last commander at the moment, and he could give full play to the maximum combat power of the soldiers and horses urgently assembled in Hedong, but in this way, he still had to bear huge risks, and the battle array was dangerous, and no one could guarantee that Yan Xing would really be safe and sound, and the situation would be as smooth as Yan Xing said.

So although the persuasion of Wenwu under his command is not so intense, there are still some Pengshi who plan to continue to advise. Yan Xing didn't have any extra time, and he spent time arguing in the hall about who was the most appropriate general, so he directly ordered to start the general to transfer troops.

Yan Xing, Xu Kun and other generals in the hall heard the sound and went out one after another, and Xi Zhicai, Sun Zi, Pei Ji and others were also ordered to accompany the army, Yan Xing then sent Bao Zhu to Linfen with a tiger talisman in his hand, and ordered Cao Yuan, who had already moved his troops to war, to immediately lead 10,000 Tuntian soldiers to the south and come to Anyi to converge.

The war is on the horizon, and the military orders are like mountains. No one knew when the Hongnong soldiers and horses that were close at hand would tear up the covenant and directly send troops to invade Hedong, and Yan Xing's military order had been issued, and the transfer of soldiers, the transportation of grain and grass, the inspection of ordnance and war equipment, and the requisition and transfer of civilian service in various cities also came one after another.

The entire Hedong County Government, like a carriage told to gallop, the Cao in the palace quickly got busy for the next war, each subordinate official, secretary or received documents, or buried the case, each military official began to go in and out of the county government, and the order rider who galloped to herald the order turned over on his horse, rode out of the city gate, and went away to the distance.