Which is more urgent?

Guangxi or Jiangnan? Or Shaanxi, Hedong?

The two sides argued, and the court discussion on this day failed to reach a result after all. The only thing that is finalized is that Liu Yi is going to be unlucky. In addition, there is Shen Qi before, and his responsibility is not to run. Further back, it is necessary to trace back to the previous Xiao Note, who also proposed to cut down Jiaozhi, so it is also indispensable to be punished.

But does it make sense?

Coming out of the Chongzheng Palace, Han Gang also smiled bitterly in his heart because of this hellish result. However, this is also what he and Zhang Dian expected, the court and officialdom are like this, everyone rushes to receive it when there is merit, and when something happens, it is the first thing to think about deciding the responsibility, rather than solving the incident first.

After the council, the deacons were left in the temple, and the officials below the two systems who were not qualified enough left the temple together.

Han Gang and Zhang Dian walked side by side, sneering, "It seems that Your Majesty has finally understood that big things should not be done to everyone." There is a lot of gossip and people with different hearts, and the probability of bad things is much greater than the possibility of success. ”

"It's not the same now." Zhang Dian glanced back at the towering palace, his tone was full of disdain, but there was also hope hidden in his eyes. When will he be one of the remaining members of the temple?

Zhang Dian is unwilling to be lonely, he has tasted the sweetness of leading the army, and of course he is not willing to let go this time. But his experience in leading the army is only to pacify Jingnan Shanman, and his qualifications are too shallow. It is far less than Cai Ting, Wang Shao and Guo Kui, who may lead the army in the prediction. So he needs Han Gang's helper to mobilize his old subordinates to take the lead, so that he can have a chance to lead the army - although the odds are not large, Zhang Dian has always dared to gamble and fight.

And Han Gang needed the support of Zhang Dian because he wanted to rescue Yongzhou as soon as possible. He has some friendship with Su Mian, so he can't sit back and watch the court delay time. Although he also knew in his heart that more than 20 days had passed since Yongzhou was besieged and the news reached the capital. With the speed at which Qinzhou and Lianzhou were breached, Yongzhou is indeed very likely to have been conquered, and perhaps the official army of the Great Song Dynasty at this time has retreated to Kunlun Pass, and even Binzhou, Xiangzhou, Liuzhou, and Guizhou. However, thinking about Su Mian's several times to ask the court to beware of Jiaozhi, Han Gang felt that there was still a glimmer of hope, and he still had some confidence in Su Mian's defense of Yongzhou City.

Han Gang walked a few steps and said: "Fengzhou and Luo Wu in the north, the Son of Heaven is unwilling to let go, and the roads in the south of the Yangtze River must ensure that there will be no civil unrest." And Guangxi, who dares to violate the boundary, cannot be spared. However, manpower is sometimes poor, and national strength is also average. ”

"Who's to say it's not." Zhang Dian sneered, when he talked about the army of the Great Song Dynasty, most of the people who knew the inside story had sneering expressions, "Although China claims to have millions of soldiers, the forbidden troops in Hebei and Beijing are almost rotten, and the art of war with the main purpose of teaching soldiers and soldiers cannot turn soldiers who have not fought for decades into a strong army that can fight and dare to fight in a short period of time." Not to mention the south, when I went to Jingnan, the empty salary of the local garrison was 50%, and the entire southern Zhulu was only 30,000 forbidden troops. Hedong can't even do the Linfu army, and now the elite who are actually able to fight, that is, the 200,000 or so in Shaanxi, the forbidden army, plus a part of the Tibetan army. ”

"There's also a part of Jinghu South Road, at least it hasn't had time to rot yet." Han Gang added, smiling at Zhang.

Zhang Dian also smiled bitterly and shook his head helplessly. This is his confidence in saying that the Son of Heaven will hand over the matter of pacifying Jiaozhi to him. When it was difficult for the forbidden troops in Hedong and Shaanxi to free up, they could only mobilize the troops on the south road of Jinghu first.

Looking up at the towering palace wall that was gradually approaching, Zhang Dian said to Han Gang: "Today's dispute in the court is not a bad thing. Presumably, the Son of Heaven does not want to see the military situation again and be delayed again. If the Son of Heaven bypasses Erfu and directly decrees tomorrow, then we will win. ”

Han Gang nodded. He looked at the current situation, it was indeed a domestic and external difficulty, natural and man-made disasters, and there were not many options left for Zhao Ji, so he had to take some risks. Compared with Guangxi, which is raging in Jiaozhi, Jiangnan, which has always been relatively calm, is not so prone to accidents.

In Shaanxi - the seed went north into Yinxia without success, but only occupied the mountain pass. Although there was a foundation for the future capture of the land of Yinxia, the purpose of forcing the Western Xia army occupying Fengzhou to withdraw was not achieved. In Han Gang's view, there is also a reason for his reluctance to take risks. As long as the mountain pass is stuck, Luo Wucheng can be said to be saved. But if you continue to the north and go straight to Yin, Xia Erzhou, you will have to risk the annihilation of the whole army.

It cannot be said that there is a mistake in the judgment of the plant. This time, the leap from Suide to Luowu City for nearly 100 miles was because the Hengshan Fan Department along the way had long been damaged by the war four years ago, so it seemed to be calm, and the officers and soldiers did not have to worry about the safety of the grain route. But Yinzhou Xiazhou, which drove directly to the northern foot of Hengshan, was not only poorly prepared, but also no one could guarantee the safety of the supply line behind him, as long as Xixia sent more than 1,000 people to harass in the mountains, don't think about leaving on the mountain road, and it is natural for him to be cautious.

In Hedong-Fengzhou, the 15,000 Linfu army, plus the 10,000 soldiers and horses urgently dispatched by Taiyuan, could not cross the mountain range where the ancient Great Wall was located because of the heavy snow blocking the mountain. Because this is not the city of Luowu. Compared with Western Xia, Luowu is a lonely city isolated in the south of Hengshan, and if there is an emergency, it is difficult for the garrison in the north of the mountain to rescue. Toyosu, on the other hand, is a lonely city separated by a series of washed ravines and mountains compared to Linfu Road.

In order to capture Luowu City, Yan Yanlu prepared for half a year, and the storage savings had been accumulated for four or five years. But the order of the Linfu army to recover Fengzhou was a hasty act, and even if a sleigh car was built temporarily, it would not be able to transport many soldiers. In the face of the party members who are waiting for battle, it is difficult to attack it, and there is no need to think about recapturing Fengzhou.

In Hebei - after the warning of the Liao lord, not only Hedong, but also Hebei, also had to face the Khitan iron cavalry that was about to move. Regardless of whether the Khitans will attack or not—the odds should be slim—but the Hebei Fourth Route must be put into combat readiness. In this way, it will be the same as the situation in Shaanxi, and it will be difficult to transfer troops in a short period of time.

In Jiangnan - drought followed by locust plague, the disaster was severe, causing the people to be displaced in the road. Although it is said that at this time in the south, there will be no peasant uprising; But Han Gang remembered that in a few decades, there would be the Holy Father Fang La, and the Ming Sect he relied on should also spread in Jiangnan at this time. Although it is unlikely that the uprising caused by religious hooks will occur at this time, there is no need to be prepared at all, and even Han Gang does not dare to make such an assertion.

Tanzhou on Jinghu South Road is a strategic point in the south, and the strength of the troops stationed in the army is far greater than that of several large counties in the south of the Yangtze River, such as Hangzhou and Jiangning, and there are perhaps more soldiers running errands at officials' homes and hotels than soldiers receiving training. With the level of the garrison in Jiangnan, if there is any emergency, it can only rely on Jingzhong or Jinghu to send troops.

The last is Guangnan - the Jiaozhi army can now continue to besiege Yongzhou, but it is also possible to abandon Yongzhou and attack Guangzhou.

"But it's a little too late. When the news of the fall of Qinzhou came the day before yesterday, an order had been issued to let the armies of all states in Guangnan guard their own city defenses and not fight in vain. Guangzhou has the lessons of Nong Zhigao back then, and he dare not be negligent. After hearing that Jiaozhi broke Qinzhou, he would definitely be on guard. Zhang Dian said: "Speaking of which, although Yongzhou is a fairly wealthy state capital in Guangxi Road, it is still far inferior to Guangzhou, which has a city division, captured Qinzhou and Lianzhou, as long as the Jiaozhi people are willing to walk a little more, the unprepared Guangzhou is likely to be conquered in an instant." ”

"Who made Yongzhou closer?!" Han Gang sneered, "And the Jiaozhi people are not necessarily for gold and silver, their ambitions have always been not small, they are called emperors behind closed doors, and they do not pay tribute." Maybe they will also say that as long as the kapok is opened, it is their territory. ”

"Kapok?" Zhang Dian asked suspiciously.

Han Gang smiled, "It is a specialty of the south, and it is different from the cotton grown in the northwest. And he diverted from the conversation.

In the jade hall of the Hanlin Academy, Han Gang and Zhang Dian re-examined the current situation in various places, and in any case, both of them advocated sending troops to rescue Guangxi as soon as possible.

The most important thing is in the north, there is no doubt about that, but it is the south that is imminent. Although with the national strength of Jiaozhi, even if Yongzhou is broken, Guizhou cannot be attacked. But the invasion of the Liao people in the north is only possible, while the south is already a reality.

The Son of Heaven should be in a hurry to save Yongzhou, and Wang Anshi also has the same idea. As long as the bad news hasn't come, it's indispensable

At the end of the discussion, Zhang Dian breathed a long sigh of relief, and smiled at Han Gang: "If the foolish brother can really make it, it is indispensable to work until Yukun." ”

Han Gang sighed: "Fame is tired......"

Han Gang has no experience in leading the army independently, and the task of leading the army to attack Jiaozhi will never be handed over to him. So Zhang Dian wanted to fight, and Han Gang simply helped him. In the end, if the Son of Heaven does not order his generals, presumably Zhang Duan will not be able to complain.

However, Han Gang also knew that he would definitely be ordered. As he said, it's the fame that comes with it. Now when it comes to medical care in the military, the name Han Gang must not be avoided. Zhang Dian fought in Jingnan with the Western Army as the core, but not many died of miasma, which is the best example. In that year, Di Qing led the southern expedition, and nearly three of them were lost due to illness, and most of the Fanluo cavalry he brought with him died of illness.

Comparing the two, everyone knows that if you want to lead the southern expedition to Jiaozhi, Han Gang will definitely be one of them. Zhang Dian relied on Han Gang's words to help, also because his right to speak in the south of the army was no less than that of a general who was more experienced in military affairs.

Han Gang chatted with Zhang Dian for a few more words and said goodbye. From the outside, he was still calm and normal, but in Han Gang's heart, this was already irritable. According to his estimates, Yongzhou can't wait long.

Can the army on Jinghu South Road be mobilized? What is the current situation in Yongzhou? None of these things can he be sure of. But as long as there is a glimmer of possibility, he will do his best for it!