Northwest, Lingzhou.

Winter has finally arrived.

There were two cold snaps in a row, and it snowed in Lingzhou for three days and three nights. The streets of Lingzhou City were covered with snow as thick as three or four feet. The Yellow River outside Lingzhou City has also been frozen, frozen for several feet, and it is difficult to smash it with a sledgehammer.

But no matter how thick the snow is and how cold the weather is, it can't stop waves of military envoys from coming from Liangzhou to Lingzhou. In front of the Xuanfu Envoy of the Northwest Third Road, which was rebuilt from the original Xixia Palace, an envoy from the Hexi Army who entered the city yesterday evening was waiting in a snowy field early in the morning with a cart of gifts.

In the back garden of the Xuanfu Mission, the pond has been frozen. Gao Yu asked the subordinates in the house to sew a leather ball with cowhide and threw it to a few children in the house to play. Today is a sunny day after the snow, and the sun is shining down, and the temperature has also risen. In the back garden, the ladies and maids in Gao Yu's house all came out to play around the children.

Gao Yu's three eldest sons, Gao Yaokang, Gao Yaofu, Gao Yaoqing and his original eldest wife, are now staying in Kaifeng Mansion. A group of little guys playing in the back garden of Xuanshuai's Mansion in the northwest were all given birth to him by Gao Yu's wife and concubine after he arrived in the northwest.

It's a terrible time! In a blink of an eye, Gao Yu has been in the northwest for more than four years, and even children born in the northwest will build snowmen, have snowball fights, and run around kicking a ball.

A few little ones were playing happily, their little faces were red from the cold, running and jumping, laughing and screaming, not knowing what homesickness was......

Gao Yu, the owner of the Xuanshuai Mansion, wore a thick fur coat and stood in an octagonal pavilion with a fire, watching the children play carefree.

Gao Yu shook his head and whispered: "The north wind Xiao Xiao is another winter, when will Qionglin take care of me?" ”

A few days ago, I was sick, and Gao Yu, who had recovered a little in the past few days, felt homesick again. In fact, he doesn't miss his hometown Kaifeng Mansion at all, and he wants to leave Lingzhou, a place of right and wrong, as soon as possible.

Recently, the civilian officials in the DPRK and China have a new enemy, that is, the Military Machinery Department of the Metropolitan Army, which is led by Wu Haogu, so they naturally put aside Gao Yu, who supports the army and has ill intentions, and no longer criticizes the fight.

Gao Yu, who was already preparing to die of old age in the northwest, also ignited the hope of being "released from the military power with a glass of wine" - in his opinion, he lacked nothing. The rank officer has already reached the rank of lieutenant, and he will not be promoted any further. The official also became the commander of the Northwest Third Road, which was almost the apex of the military ministers. He has no ambition to be a privy councilor, and he doesn't even want to be a military envoy of Wu Haogu's current capital...... His ideal is to be released from military power by Zhao Ji, and to be a rich man for the rest of his life, just eat, drink and have fun.

For this reason, he also reported to Zhao Ji when he was sick a few days ago that he was "bedridden and unable to serve as a director", which was equivalent to handing over the handle of releasing the military to Zhao Ji. also recommended Zhao Ji the most suitable candidate to take over Lingzhou Xuanfu - Wu Haogu!

But what is disappointing is that Zhao Ji only sent a doctor from the Imperial Pharmacy to Lingzhou to see Gao Yu's illness, and also gave him a will, so that he could recuperate with peace of mind, and he could entrust all military affairs to the general army machine room to take care of...... Until the sick body is healed!

Obviously, Zhao Ji was determined to let him "die of old age" in the northwest!

This matter may be undesirable for other feudal officials who support the army and respect themselves, but Gao Yu has no intention of being a warlord at all. He became a warlord completely framed by traitors! I can't correct it now, and I'm probably the saddest warlord in the world.

Gao Yu's brother Gao Lian walked into the garden quickly at this time, walked all the way, and arrived at the octagonal pavilion where Gao Yu was, "The messenger of the Hexi Army is here again." ”

"Nope!" Gao Yu spit out two words in annoyance.

He is in today's situation, isn't it all caused by these thieves? I can't help fighting, but I still refuse to stop, but now it's okay, I've provoked the big Turkic countries in the West, I know I'm scared, right?

Gao Lian, who was recruited by Gao Yu to be the head of the Xuanshuai Mansion, did not move, but stepped forward and said to Gao Yu: "Big brother, it is Xiao Heda and Master Zhishen who are here this time. ”

Xiao Heda is the chief military aircraft of the Hexi Army - the general military engine room of the Hexi Army was not opened according to the order of the Metropolitan Military Machinery Division, nor was it subject to the control of the Metropolitan Military Machinery Division, but the Hexi Army also made one according to the gourd after seeing that the Xuanmarshal Mansion in the northwest had set up the general army engine room, and Xiao Heda, the confidant general of the Zhao Qianshun brothers, served as the chief military aircraft.

And Monk Zhishen is one of the seven great teachings of the Great Education Group, and his status is also extraordinary. Even if Gao Yu can refuse Xiao Heda, he can't help but give face to Master Zhishen.

"Second brother, you go and deal with it first." Gao Yu sighed, "You go to the engine room of the general army first, and go find Li Yongqi for me." ”

Li Yongqi is Gao Yu's chief military aircraft, Gao Yu is actually a hands-off shopkeeper, the government affairs of the Xuanfu Division are handed over to his younger brother Gao Lian, and the military affairs are lost to the chief military aircraft Li Yongqi, Wu Song, the head of the infantry army, and Yang Keshi, the head of the Ma army.

Gao Lian turned around and left, and after a while, Li Yongqi walked into the octagonal pavilion with a thick earthy yellow envelope.

Gao Yu glanced at the envelope, frowned and asked, "What?" The order of the Military Aircraft Division has arrived again? ”

At present, the military order system of the Great Song Dynasty is in the period of alternation of the old and the new, and all the orders received by the armies, the Xuanmarshal's Office, and the System and Placement Department that have established the general army engine room are all issued by the military aircraft system.

The formal procedure is that the official Zhao Ji will send the order to the Metropolitan Military Machinery Division through the Ministry or in the form of a central decree, and then the Metropolitan Military Machinery Division will turn the emperor's will into a clear military order, which will be issued together with the original edict - the next level of military aircraft generally only needs to act according to the military order of the Metropolitan Military Machinery Division, as long as the military order of the Military Machinery Division does not obviously conflict with the original edict.

The military orders of the Military Machinery Division are often very cumbersome, so they will be encapsulated in a large envelope.

"Yu Xuanshuai," Li Yongqi saluted, "It's a report from the Military Machinery Department of the Metropolitan Army." ”

The so-called "circular" is actually a circular, and sometimes the report is accompanied by a suggestion from the Military Aircraft Division.

"Did you see it?" Gao Yu asked.

"I've seen it," Li Yongqi said, "and I have reported on the situation in the Western Turkic countries and the Great Food Countries...... It turns out that the Western Turkic countries and the Great Food Countries are connected to us by land and sea. The Military Machinery Division has long been collecting information from the White Merchants. ”

"Oh." Gao Yu asked, "How can there be a big food country?" ”

"Because the Great Food Country and the Turkic State are one."

"One? How can two countries become one? ”

"Xuan Shuai, their Tianfang Sect is a bit like our Spring and Autumn Warring States, all countries regard the Great Food Country as their suzerain, and their caliph is equivalent to Zhou Tianzi, with an empty name, and the government decree does not leave the capital, just eat, drink and have fun.

Under the caliphate is the sultan, similar to the overlord who coerces the princes of the Son of Heaven, and the Turkic state is a bunch of sultanates. ”

"A bunch?" Gao Yu frowned, "What's going on?" ”

Li Yongqi said: "The report said that the Turkic country, Seljuk, was originally a small country, because there was a male lord Mingjun, conquered Persia, entered Baghdad, and coerced the caliph to order the heroes. However, this Seljuk has long since weakened, and now it has split into a bunch of small states, the largest of which is called the Great Seljuk, which is probably the one that the Black Khan Uighurs have taken refuge in. ”

"Really?" Gao Yu was suspicious, "They are still in charge of our affairs?" The news heard by the Military Aircraft Division must be outdated, right? ”

Li Yongqi frowned, he knew that Gao Yu had no interest in going west to Anxi - his credit was enough.

"Xuan Shuai," Li Yongqi said again, "the Metropolitan Military Machinery Division asked us to hand over the report to the Hexi Army, and then suggested that the Hexi Army send troops as soon as possible next spring, and seize Kashgar and Khotan ...... in one fell swoop before the Seljuk Turkic reinforcements arrived."

"Okay...... Gao Yu waved his hand impatiently, "When you see Xiao Heda later, you can talk to him." ”

"Whoa!" Li Yongqi was a little helpless, so he had to bow his hand.

……

"Da Lang, you really don't go to Lingzhou?"

Qionglin Palace, Chongzheng Palace.

The official Zhao Jizheng was a little embarrassed and asked if Wu Haogu could go to Lingzhou to replace Gao Yu.

The answer, of course, is no.

The seat of Xuanfu on the Northwest Third Road is easy for Wu Haogu to go up, but it is difficult to come down! If you really go, Jiehe Commercial City and Jingdong Commercial Market will not be able to take care of it.

"But the agreement between the two governments said that the battle in the northwest can only ensure victory if you go." Zhao Ji said again, "If others go, I'm afraid it will be difficult to win." ”

Wu Hao Gu said in his heart: Didn't the gang of people in the two mansions feel that they are in the way of Kaifeng Mansion and want to get rid of it, right?

"Your Majesty," Wu Hao Gu said, "the minister will only govern the army, not fight." How can you replace Big Brother Gao? Besides, the Hexi army is as fearful as a tiger, but it is not afraid of ministers! If the minister went to Lingzhou, he was afraid that he would not be able to drive away the tiger of the Hexi Army. “

Wu Haogu paused, and then said: "But the minister can also go to the northwest to help Gao Yu." ”

"Really?" Zhao Ji's originally frowning brows suddenly expanded, "Da Lang, what kind of official do you want to go to the northwest?" How about the Northwest 3rd Route Transfer? Why don't you go to pick up Tong Guan's Shuofang Road to appease the envoy of the warp strategy. ”

"Your Majesty," Wu Haogu smiled, "the minister doesn't want to be a transfer envoy, and he doesn't go to Shuofang Road." ”

Zhao Ji asked: "Then what do you want to be an official?" ”

Wu Haogu said: "The minister wants to go to the name of the military envoy to organize another elite cavalry from the Western Army for His Majesty, and with this cavalry, Gao Yu's three-way Xuanfu will be easy to do." Whether it's driving the tiger and devouring the wolf, or taking action yourself, you can be sure that you are safe. ”

"A whole cavalry from the Western Army?" Zhao Ji suddenly thought of something, "Da Lang, do you want to use this to rectify the Western Army?" ”

Wu Hao Gu said: "It's not about rectification, but about giving the elite of the Western Army a little more opportunity to train, so as not to waste the art of battle formation." ”

Zhao Ji thought for a while, "This matter is not trivial, and it must be discussed in the Chongzheng Palace." Tomorrow, you will also come to the Chongzheng Hall to discuss matters! ”