The atmosphere in the Xuanshu Hall was a little strange, and the crown prince Liu Rui and the ministers looked at him together, with more or less playfulness and curiosity in their eyes.

Liu Rui was a little nervous by everyone's eyes, and he entered the palace to talk about the matter of Ping Liang, talking about the dangers of Han Sui in Liang and the importance of Liangzhou to the Xia Kingdom, and then it was such a scene.

I really wonder in my heart, what did I say wrong? Liu Rui tried his best to think about it, but he couldn't think of a reason, so he stood there restrainedly, waiting for Liu Yuan's reaction.

Liu Yuan was indeed surprised by Liu Ruijin's words, his side discussed the matter of the western expedition with the ministers, and Liu Rui came, which is a bit of a coincidence! With Liu Yuan's understanding of Liu Rui, he was only afraid that he would not be able to think of a peaceful discussion. Yang Xiu! This name came to Liu Yuan's mind, this person, should he be true and kind?

"The prince has grown a lot!" Liu Yuan said lightly.

Liu Ruishi said this for some reason, and his eyes showed a little confusion. Or Wang Rouwei said to Liu Rui with a smile, hearing this, Liu Rui couldn't help but feel ashamed, he originally intended to behave in general, but now he seems to be "smart".

"His Royal Highness the Prince, looking at the overall situation, it is indeed rare to be able to detect the hidden dangers in the west and take the initiative to advise!" Wang Rou said with a smile on the side, a little bit of praise and praise, which made the slight shame in Liu Rui's heart fade a lot.

has some gratitude to Wang Rou, although Wang Rou does not fully support him like those people in Shao, but he is also quite kind to him on weekdays, and has many supportive actions.

"Since you have this idea, you must have thought it through! Talk to the princes, how to calm down? Liu Yuan looked at Liu Rui with a smile.

"Han Sui, this person, has been in Xiliang all these years, in order to deal with the invasion of my Great Xia, he has been reckless and has lost the hearts of the people. The people of Xiliang counties are all looking forward to the arrival of my summer soldiers, and they will be relieved of their upside down! ”

Liu Yuan was not interested in Liu Rui's words, and said solemnly: "How to defeat Han Sui and take Liangzhou all under his control?" ”

"With the strength of my Great Xia army, I only need to send one person to push it over with great momentum. But the soldiers are divided into two ways, all the way out of Longxi, straight to Jincheng, all the way out of stability, directly attacking Wuwei, two ways to attack, Han Sui will inevitably be bound! Liu Rui was a little glad in his heart, but fortunately he discussed the matter with Yang Xiu.

At the same time, he asked tentatively: "I don't know who my father wants to send as the main general?" ”

"What do you mean, do you have someone in mind?" Liu Yuan's eyes narrowed and looked at Liu Rui.

Facing Liu Yuan's gaze, Liu Rui was dumbfounded, at this time he didn't dare to say anything about the Huangfu brothers. It's just a feeling that can't be said!

Hurriedly shook his head, lowered his eyelids slightly, and answered the question: "There are quite a few generals in Great Xia, and any one of them can take Liangzhou lightly!" ”

"King Wei thinks, who can lead the army to the west?" Liu Yuan turned to Liu Qiu.

Hearing this, Liu Qiu first glanced at Liu Rui, who was "ostriche", and got up indifferently and said: "Your Majesty, Weichen thinks that King Chen is brave and resolute, has outstanding talents, and has rich experience in the united front, especially in Liangzhou for many years, and can be the main general of the Western Expedition!" ”

Liu Rui heard the words on the side, and his eyes flashed, Liu Qiu supported Liu Heng nakedly. At the same time, I can't help but feel bitter in my heart, if I push the Huangfu brothers, can I win Liu Heng?

Suffering from gains and losses in his heart, Liu Rui suddenly realized that Liu Yuan would not necessarily appoint Liu Heng. Let yourself calm your eyes and look at Liu Yuan.

"Yuan Heng!" When Liu Yuan heard this, he chewed a sentence, and his expression became unpredictable: "King Chen, but he is a good candidate!" ”

In the end, Liu Yuan did not set the main general of Zhengliang.

"What's been going on in the East Palace lately?" Summoning Zhang Rang, Liu Yuan asked, his voice revealing indifference.

A piece of paper was neatly spread out on the big case, and Liu Yuan wrote several columns of names on it, such as Xu Bu Chiyi, Wu Huali, Fugu Huaijing, Helan Dangfu, Wan Qianjian, Xu Huang, Duan Xuan, and Lu Bu...... and Liu Heng. He was really thinking about who to send as the main general this time, and as he grew older, he was not as decisive as before, and he easily paid the army to his subordinates, and Liu Yuan couldn't do it.

The army mobilization system of the Great Xia Empire has also been restrained by Liu Yuan, and Chinese and foreign armies and horses can only be mobilized if they need an edict and a tiger talisman. Now in the entire Xia Kingdom, except for the soldiers and horses at the border gates, it is difficult for the rest to move.

Liu Yuan also has an extremely complex design of the Golden Jade Arrow, which can directly mobilize tens of thousands of "Central Army" in the Great Xia Pass, but it has not been used so far.

"Everything is normal in the East Palace, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince bows to political affairs, is diligent and knowledgeable, and there is nothing unusual." Quietly glancing at Liu Yuan, who was expressionless, Zhang Rang replied in a low voice.

sighed in his heart, Liu Yuan asked him to monitor the East Palace, this errand is not easy to do, it is easy to cause the dissatisfaction of the prince, and it is not easy to deal with Liu Yuan's side. Or you can give this matter to Duan Jue, Zhang Rang had a thought, hasn't he always been so "full of energy".

recalled Liu Rui's reaction in the palace today, and when he wanted to speak, Liu Yuan's eyes rolled: "Who have you met recently?" ”

"In addition to the general reception affairs, there are only a few officials who are assigned to serve in the local area!" Zhang Rang spoke more and more cautiously, and after thinking about it, he added: "There are also partial generals Huangfu Chen, Huangfu Li!" ”

"Humph!" Liu Yuan smiled, he probably understood something.

The prince discussed the western expedition, and his intention was not in Pingliang, but in the Pingliang army!

......

"Your Highness, how's it going?" As soon as Liu Rui returned to the palace, Yang Xiu took the initiative to ask to see him and asked.

"It's too late!" Liu Rui was slightly bitter.

Yang Xiu was stunned for a moment, a little confused, and looked straight at Liu Rui with both eyes.

"Lonely to see the Xuan room, my father and the ministers are discussing the matter of the western expedition to Liangzhou!" Liu Rui's face was very ugly: "In front of my father and the princes, I talked eloquently, but the result was just a snake." The father's plan has been decided! ”

Liu Rui felt that he had lost face, although others didn't think so, but he was very sensitive to the strange look in the eyes of others.

"Recommend Brother Huangfu, Lone didn't say anything!" Liu Rui knew what Yang Xiu wanted to ask, and said coldly: "King Wei recommends King Chen and Liu Heng to lead the army!" ”

Yang Xiu was speechless, he suddenly shook his head, thinking back, the prince intended military power, and today's actions were too obvious. Cold sweat overflowed on his forehead, and Yang Xiu secretly scolded himself for fainting, and he actually asked the prince to do such a taboo thing. This is not how it came to be involved in military power!

Tell Liu Rui what he thinks in his heart, and Yang Xiu pleaded guilty.

When Liu Rui heard this, he couldn't help but turn pale, but he was also happy. Fortunately, he was not in the Xuan room, and bluntly recommended the Huangfu brothers, otherwise it would be ** naked motives are not pure.

In the next few days, the entire Great Xia court was talking about Pingliang, and no one had any objections to this decision, the only question was who to use. In the past few years, Liu Yuan has grasped the military power more and more tightly, and the upper and lower courtiers have also seen it, and they are very curious about who can take command of the expedition this time, especially when there is a dispute between the princes and princes behind it.

In the palace of King Zhou, Liu Jue and Yang Fu were facing each other, and they were also discussing the western expedition.

"Your Highness, Ma Chaofu asks to see you!" There are eunuchs who report outside.

"Bring him in!" With a faint smile, Liu Jue touched his mustache and looked at Yang Fu: "Yishan, when it comes to this conquest of Liangzhou, this Ma Mengqi can't sit still!" ”

"Ma Chao descended to summer, originally to avenge his family. After all these years of revenge, after waiting for so long, His Majesty finally decided to completely solve the trouble in Liangzhou, and Ma Chao naturally wanted to move! Yang Fu sighed.

"Brother Ma, regardless of the rest, only this Ma Chao is really untamable, although he is a lonely man, he has not been subdued!" Liu Jue's voice was a little cold.

"Then is His Highness willing to speak for him this time and recommend him to go west to Liangzhou?" Yang Fu looked at Liu Jue with a smile.

"That's nature!" Liu Jue is very sure: "Xiliang Hu'er, it can indeed be used!" If you recommend others, you will be like Liu Rui, with 'ulterior motives'. Only this Ma Chao, who was alone in front of His Majesty back then, his father made a promise to him! Recommend it, it will naturally be more! ”

"Who does Yishan think will be the commander of his father this time?"

"Your Highness, this time it shouldn't be for us to guess who Your Majesty has appointed! Rather, it should be arranged from His Majesty's dispatch, and guess the Sacred Heart! ”

When Liu Jue heard this, he had something to gain.

A burst of movement came from outside the window, and before long, Ma Chao, who was dressed in a gray robe, stepped inside under the guidance of the eunuch, and solemnly saluted Liu Jue: "The last general Ma Chao, see Your Highness!" ”

......

After thinking about it for three days, Liu Yuan finally sent down an edict, with Liu Heng, the king of Chen, as the general of the expedition to the west, and led the army to attack Korea, all according to Liangzhou. Xu Huang, Ma Chao, and Duan Ling, who are familiar with Liangzhou affairs, will be assisted, and Wang Chang, Guo Huai and other second-generation followers of the army, and more than 20 Yu Linlang will join the army to serve as grassroots officers.

Liu Yuan wants to inject fresh blood into the army of Great Xia and actively cultivate second-generation generals.

The generals who supported the early Xia Kingdom, such as Xubu Chiyi, Wuyue, and Helan Dangfu, are all old, and now they are basically hanging on to their posts and raising their old in Chang'an City. It seems that Wan Qian Jin, Rong Ma has a lifetime, there are many hidden dangers in the body, after four years of hard fighting in Qiande, it is completely collapsed, and now he is almost guarding the medicine jar in Chang'an Mansion to live.

Of course, the abandonment of these meritorious generals does not rule out Liu Yuan's fear of meritorious heroes. Especially Xu Bu Chiyi, since Liu Yuan's rise in Meiji, the southern and northern wars, with his highest military merits, the highest prestige in the army, the older Liu Yuan, is very suspicious.

Liu Yuan thinks that it is also for their good to raise the generals in Chang'an. Rong Ma is handsome, very hard, and it is not bad to be able to live in peace in the second half of his life. Otherwise, Liu Yuan was afraid that he would also do something like "rabbits and dead dogs, and birds hide their bows", even if it is still far away from the peace of the world.

The appointment of Liu Heng, although it is inevitable that some people speculate, there is no problem with Chen Wang as the main general, only focusing on Pingliang affairs.

Of course, Liu Yuan also had reservations about sending Liu Heng. Liu Heng once asked for the transfer of old subordinates such as Liang Xing and Yang Qiu to the Western Expeditionary Army, but Liu Yuan refused. Not only that, but even the generals who are close to it are basically not with them.

For Liu Yuan's "defense", secretly, Liu Heng rarely laughed at it. Without saying much, he led Wang Shuang and other pro-troops, took office, and led the army to the west.

When Liu Heng was appointed, Liu Yuan also issued an edict and made a transfer. The two brothers, Huangfu Chen and Huangfu Li, were transferred to Bingzhou and served under the command of Zhendong General Su Li.

Outsiders can't see anything, but those who know the inside story are concerned about it. Especially Liu Rui, he knew in his heart that Liu Yuan was warning him!

......

The Xia army of the Lantian battalion is the elite of the Xia Kingdom, which is Hu Xia's greatest confidence in Guanyou except for the Chang'an garrison.

Liu Heng commanded the army, starting from Chang'an, along Weishui, and marching west to Liangzhou. The generals and colonels were full of spirit and high morale, and they were eager to make contributions in the Battle of Pingliang. Liu Yuan attaches great importance to military merits, and in the Xia Kingdom, the fastest way to rise is to pull out the city and kill the generals.

However, Liu Hengzhi's march was not in a hurry at all, and the march was very slow, and the daily march was only fifty miles. The pomp and circumstance are also full, and sometimes the account is raised, showing the majesty of King Chen. The interest came, and he also took people on a safari.

Liu Heng's performance made the generals of the army very dissatisfied, including Duan Ling, the general of the town army, and Liu Heng, the king of Chen, who seemed to have no intention of fighting.

In the face of Liu Heng's sluggish march, the most anxious and impatient in the army was Ma Chao. Since he surrendered to Xia, he has not returned to Liangzhou, and this time the opportunity finally came, he was bent on attacking Jincheng and Wuwei, and beheading Han Sui.

"Your Highness!" Liu Heng raised his account again, and Ma Chao got up and asked sharply: "Your Majesty paid the army to you, it is to suppress Han Sui and pacify Liangzhou." Since the departure from Chang'an, it has been ten days, but even Chen Cang has not passed. If this continues, will it take a month to be able to reach the city? ”

For Ma Chao, a brave general who was born under Liu Jue, Liu Heng is not very cold, he is the commander of the army, and he dares to be so rude in front of the generals.

"General Ma, is this questioning Lone?" Liu Heng said coldly: "Lone is the commander of the army, how to march, how to act, Lone has his own considerations. The general is so earnest, I'm afraid that his selfishness is not small! Even under the lonely tent, but openly roaring at the Chinese army, what should be the crime? ”

was scolded by Liu Heng, Ma Chao's face was ugly for a while.

"Come on, pull it out, twenty rods, to suppress the might of the army!" Liu Heng commanded lightly.

Liu Heng is also the prince of Ma who has been fighting for many years, and Ma Chao is not enough to wrestle with him. In the end, it was not possible to avoid the pain of flesh and skin, and it was not easy for the 20th Army to survive.

After deterring the generals under the account, Liu Heng still went his own way, marching without hurry, from Chang'an to Liangji County, less than 700 miles away, Liu Heng led the elite soldiers and strong generals to walk for 20 days.

When the news reached Chang'an, there were many critics of Liu Heng, especially some officials in the prince's camp, who dared to go up to the table to impeach Liu Heng and ask for a change of commander.

Liu Yuan didn't have much reaction to this, and still ordered Wang Ze to take the lead in dispatching grain, grass and ordnance for the army to conquer the west, and requisitioning people. Liangzhou has recovered over the years, but it is still not enough to support too much war, and this time if you want to control Liangzhou in one fell swoop, you still need the support of Chang'an.

To Ji County, the military and political officials of Liangzhou, who had received the edict of the Chang'an Emperor in advance, had already prepared for the march into the army, and now the commander finally led the Chinese army.

Duan Xuan, who was guarding Longxi, met with Xu Huang of Hanyang to discuss the military situation. However, the first military order he gave to Ji County was to "march hard" and ordered the soldiers to roll into the city and rest.