In May of the third year of the establishment of the armed forces, Sichuan, Shaanxi, not to mention Sichuan, which is rich in products, was in Shaanxi, only in Xu Wei's defense area, harvested more than 400,000 hu, after deducting the rations of the township soldiers and people, there were nearly 100,000 hu. Coupled with the military rations allocated by the Xuanfu Disposal Division, as well as the reserves in the first two years, Zijin Tiger is absolutely a soldier with enough food!

In other ways, because Yang Yan's Yongxing Shuai Division had just been established, many affairs had not been completely separated from Qin Feng's Shuai Division, so his grain was temporarily allocated by the Preparation Division. In addition, in addition to Wang Yan, the Liangxing pacification division, who was a big man in the Hanzhong Basin, Liu Guangshi of Huanqing, Wang Yu of Jingyuan, and Yao Pingzhong of Xihe were limited by the geographical environment, and the income from the camp was limited.

Generally speaking, the problem of food shortage in the western army has been greatly alleviated, and as long as there is no big battle, there will be no worries about food and clothing within three years. In addition to eating, the issue of military salaries has also been solved, thanks to the increasingly stable situation, Shaanxi can also contribute a certain amount of tax revenue, although it cannot be compared with Sichuan, but can always subsidize subsidies. Besides, this year, the Xuanfu Division is preparing to open two more camps in the Jingyuan Army to do business with party members, and Sichuan has also increased its financial resources through various reforms, and it is believed that the economic situation will continue to improve.

With money, food, and soldiers, and strong morale and strong people's will, Xu Churen, the supreme governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, is total, and the Western Army may have to move, and it can't always let the Xianghan Theater hold on.

In Xianghan, how long did the Song and Jin armies fight? On and off, it's been seven months. This is an unprecedented situation in the history of the Song and Jin wars, just one area, or even a city of Xiangyang, has been repeatedly fought for seven months, and the two armies have not given in, which is difficult to imagine in the past.

The Jin army is determined to win, because this is a major move by the Jin magnates to divert their attention after major political changes, and it is also a new strategy to destroy the Song Dynasty.

But in the Southern Dynasties, if Xianghan is lost, Jiangnan will be directly threatened. To put it seriously, Xiangyang is lost, and the whole south is finished, do you dare not care? Therefore, although there were people in the court who constantly impeached Xu Shao, saying that he had too much power, that he was tyrannical, that he was abusing power, and that he was a military and political leader, neither the emperor nor the emperor was silent. On the contrary, he continued to add officials to Xu Shao, and now he has been added to the first grade, and the "Taishi" among the three princes cannot be added any further, so he can only be crowned king.

Although the war in Xiangyang is stalemate, why is the Song army so unusually strong? First, because of years of conquest, the Jurchens, whose population was already small, were no longer able to do so, and had to replenish the source of troops from the Khitans, Han'er, and Han people. What is the nature of these people? Can the conquered peoples be as attentive as the Jurchens?

This time, the Wushu levy an army of 150,000 people, how many Jurchen talents are there? Most of them are the former Han Jun, just these rotten eggs and rotten cucumbers, no matter how bad Song Jun is, he doesn't care about them, right?

Second, Xu Shao's strategy is correct. Pay close attention to the economy first, so that the logistics of the army have no worries, and the commanders appointed at the front line, such as the He family, are all experts who are familiar with military affairs. Moreover, the emperor's strong support for Xu Shao was also an important factor. The opposition of the DPRK and China is not small, at the peak of the day, there were seven or eight impeachment of Xu Shao in one day, which is not an uncommon thing in the prime ministers of the Great Song Dynasty, but the emperor was not moved at all, which is still commendable. But then again, Zhao Chen can't move now, he was originally supported by Xu Shao and his gang.

Xu Shao and others cracked down on political enemies, although they were not as inferior as Geng Nanzhong, but they still spared no effort to drive them out of the imperial court and put them on the local level, which made no difference in essence.

By May of the third year of Jianwu, Wushu had launched two major offensives in Xianghan, but failed to make a breakthrough. At present, the third time is in full swing, and on the side of the Southern Dynasties, the elites of the two Xuanfu Divisions of Jinghu and Jiangxi have come out together, with a total strength of 90,000 troops, not counting the hundreds of thousands of troops who guarantee logistics, relying on the strong city to fight the Jin army to the end.

By late May, the bad news came. Under his command, the Jin army paid tens of thousands of casualties, and finally broke through Xiangyang City, Zhang Bofen was forced to be helpless, leading the army to break through to the south, and Xiangyang was declared lost! Gangnam shakes! The danger of losing the country is shrouded over the heads of the military and people of the Great Song Dynasty!

On the tenth day of June, Qinzhou.

A guard of several hundred people drove into the city in several carriages, accompanied by officials in various uniforms. Take a closer look, these people are actually the staff adjutants of the Xuanfu Disposal Division!

Such a huge lineup attracted the people in the city to stop and watch. Not long after entering the city, the front head was loud and dusty, but seeing that Liu Ziyu, the senator of the Department of Preparation, led several officials to fly horses, and stopped fighting horses in front of the team, Liu Yanxiu arched his hand on the horseback and said loudly: "The lower officials are ordered by the Prime Minister to come to greet the chiefs, please!" ”

The curtain of a carriage was lifted, revealing a worried face, who was not Xu Churen?

"Yan Xiu doesn't have to be polite, hurry up and go to the Preparation Division!" Xu Churen replied loudly. At the moment, the two teams are working together and going to the same department. In front of the yamen, Xu Wei had already led the assistant officials to stand in front of the door to greet him.

"I said Xuanfu Xianggong, you have a disease, but if you have something to call someone to call, you will go to Mianzhou in a humble position, why do you still come in person?" Xu Wei caught Xu Churen and said "blame" repeatedly.

Xu Churen took Zijin Tiger's hand and patted it again and again: "The production of Xianggong, where can the original phase stay?" Let's go in and talk, let's go in and talk. ”

The officials of the party all entered the system and set up the department, and sat down in the lobby according to the official rank, and Xu Churen naturally sat on the main seat. No pleasantries, no politeness, straight to the point.

Xu Churen has an eye disease, and when it is serious, he sees things as a shadow, and after the imperial doctor's diagnosis and treatment, he has improved slightly, but he still can't see clearly. Therefore, he asked Xu Wei to sit next to him, and sighed before saying a word: "Xu Zhizhi, this is a disaster." ”

Xu Wei and Xu Churen, one article and one martial arts, why is the relationship harmonious? It can be seen from the title that Xu Churen almost never calls Xu Wei's name, and rarely even calls the table words, and has always been honored by his title. This is, of course, his bearing and belly as a chief. However, a slap did not make a sound, and Xu Wei was also respectful to Xu Churen. There is no other reason, Xu Churen supports him and Shaanxi unreservedly, and it is a blessing to have such a leader.

Xu Wei's face did not change, and he asked, "Where did the disaster come from?" ”

Xu Churen shook his head, and Xu Liu immediately took over the conversation: "Xiangyang is lost." ”

Xu Wei couldn't calm down now, not only him, but also the Shaanxi officials in the hall, which one didn't change color when he heard the words? The loss of Xiangyang means that the Jin army has made a big gap in the Song army's defense line! The connection between Sichuan and Shaanxi and the central government has been cut off! Both Jinghu and Guangzhou have lost their barriers! Jiangnan is always threatened by Hanshui! This crisis cannot be expanded too much!

But Xu Wei didn't panic, and immediately asked, "Do you know the details?" ”

"Last month, the Kim army launched its third offensive. Previously, Wushu had cut off the internal and external transportation of Xiangyang, which not only prevented reinforcements from approaching, but also prevented supplies from being delivered. Zhang Bofen has been fighting alone for many months, and it is already the end of the crossbow. Zhang Zhongxiong and Yue Pengju fought well in Suitang and Tang Prefectures, but the Jin people were determined and continued to draw troops from Hebei to replenish them. It is said that now there are more than 200,000 Jin troops in the Xianghan Theater. Xiangyang City was breached, Zhang Bofen led the army to break through and go south, He Guan was furious and wanted to kill him. But first, someone pleaded for mercy, and second, he thought that he was the eldest son of Zhang Shuye, so he deprived himself of military power and went to the detention line to ask for guilt. Now, He Guan personally went into battle and is organizing troops to prepare to recapture Xiangyang. However, the outlook is bleak. Xu Liu said in a deep voice.

After hearing this, Xu Wei asked, "This news was sent by He Xuanfu?" ”

"Yes, from the beginning of the war, He Xuanfu continued to deliver news to Sichuan. Of course, he may not be counting on the Western Army to help, but he wants us to know it. Xuanfu deputy envoy Wang Shu said.

Xu Wei was silent for a moment, then turned to Xu Churen and said, "What does Xuan Xiang mean?" ”

Xu Churen said in a deep voice: "Xianghan is missing, endangering Jiangnan, at this critical juncture, can we still sit idly by?" ”

Does this sound familiar? That's right, Xu Shao also said this when he was the envoy of Shaanxi Xuanfu. Not only did he say that, but he also had practical actions, in order to relieve the pressure in the southeast, when the western army was not fully prepared, he forcibly ordered a counteroffensive, resulting in a great defeat! Now, Xu Churen said this again...... can't help but make Xu Wei embarrassed. Not long ago, he just said that the competition for the Xianghan region is not something that can be divided overnight. Now, after fighting for more than half a year, Xiangyang has been lost, but to put it bluntly, the imperial court and Jinghu Jiangxi will inevitably use all their strength to fight back, and they are bound to recapture this strategic place.

And the Western Army was a critical period for recuperating and accumulating money and food. Although two and a half years have passed since the war in Jiading, the Western Army has been rested and recovered, and the money and grain base has become thicker, it is not yet time to raise troops on a large scale. At least you can give me another year or two, save enough money and food, and train the troops, and then the western army will have more than 150,000 troops! Are you still afraid that you won't be able to recapture the whole territory of Shaanxi? We can't fight unprepared battles!

Seeing that Xu Wei didn't speak, Xu Churen knew that he was embarrassed. It stands to reason that Xu Churen is the number one, and if he has to fight, he can force it. But Xu Xuanfu understands very well that if there is any difference between him and Li Gang and Xu Shao in the past, it is to reuse the military ministers represented by Xu Wei and support them unreservedly without violating the general principles.

His approach has also paid off, as evidenced by his victory more than two years ago. Therefore, he was reluctant to use force, but said in a consultative tone: "The prime minister knows that the defeat of Dunzhou that year greatly damaged the vitality of the Western Army. After that, we were all working steadily, step by step. But now the situation is indeed critical, and if the Western Army sits idly by, the consequences will be worrying. The prime minister came in person this time to meet with the generals, ventilate, and discuss how to deal with it. ”

He said this very clearly, I came to Qinzhou, not to give orders, I came to discuss with you, and we will come together if there is something.

Wang Shu is Xu Wei's old commander, and he has a lot of personal friends, so he also persuaded from the side: "Ziang, there is a change in everything, although it is the time of the Western Army, but the world is impermanent, and it can't be immutable, right?" ”

Xu Liu seemed even more urgent, because his father was now in power, presiding over the affairs of the imperial court, leading the War of Resistance, and he was sick. If the war collapses, then Xu Shao will inevitably step down. Therefore, he put it more directly: "Xu Zhizhi, the Western Army must take action. ”

A group of chiefs took turns to persuade each other, Xu Wei's expression was cold, his eyes were like torches, and after thinking for a while, he said: "This, don't worry, chiefs, I will immediately convene all the commanders to the Department of Preparation to discuss." "He is learning the lessons of the past, if you want to fight, you must do the integration of the top and bottom, you can't say that you are the commander of the head of the decision, just let the soldiers below to charge. If we want to fight, we must unify our thinking. Of course, it is naturally good to be unified, but it is not unified, and this transition must also be necessary.

Xu Churen and others all agreed, and Xu Wei immediately sent people to various roads, urgently summoning Liu Guangshi, Yang Yan, Wang Yu, Yao Pingzhong, Wang Yan and other generals to come to Qinzhou.

Before the commanders arrived, Xu Wei urgently consulted with Wu Jue, Liu Ziyu, Ma Kuo, Zhang Qing and others. These people all believe that the lesson of Yanzhou is profound, and if we want to fight, we must have the certainty of victory. Although the Jin army was dealt a heavy blow more than two years ago, now Han Chang is running defensive lines in various places, and Hezhong Province has also assembled heavy troops, and can cross the Yellow River at any time. If we concentrate all our troops and horses to launch a large-scale counteroffensive like last time, let's not talk about victory, in case of failure, can the Western Army withstand it? Even if the loss is not big, how many years will our plan to recover the whole of Shaanxi have to be delayed? Don't fucking wait for us to get to this group of people with white hair and can't take away Shaanxi, so what's the point?

On the third day, that is, June 12, Wang Yu and Xu Cheng rushed to Qinzhou first, and the next day, Yang Yan and Li Cheng arrived, and in the evening, Wang Yan and Xu Si and Xu Wu also arrived. These people, either Xu Wei's old ministry or his brothers, all said without exception that they would obey the arrangement of the Department of Containment and let us do whatever we wanted.

On June 16, Yao Pingzhong and Guan Shuaigu rushed to Qinzhou, because the road was long, and Huanqingshuai Liu Guangshi and Li Yanqi arrived on June 18.

During this period, Xu Wei and the staff and adjutant officers had a general idea. After the arrival of the commanders and generals, he told the matter. Now, it is indeed not the time for a large-scale counteroffensive, and we must not rush forward. But it is obviously not appropriate to sit idly by and remain indifferent to the deterioration of the situation in Xianghan.

What is the problem now? It is necessary to relieve the pressure on Xianghan and create conditions for friendly forces to recapture Xiangyang. The best way, of course, is for us to launch an offensive in Shaanxi and drive the Jin army across the Yellow River. But the reality is that the conditions do not allow it.

What to do? Retreat to the second, let's pose a threat to the Jin army in the Xianghan theater! How to build? Isn't Huazhou in our hands? Isn't Shaanzhou in our hands? Huazhou has Tongguan, and Shaanzhou is the hub connecting Shaanxi and Henan. Let's go out of Tongguan, go straight to Xijing Luoyang, and enter Henan! I don't believe in the vultures, I don't worry about his flanks!

Who came up with this idea? It's not Xu Wei, it's not Wu Jue, it's not Ma Kuo, it's Yongxing Shuai Yang Yan. Huazhou and Shaanzhou are his defense areas, he sent people out of Tongguan to reconnoitre, Henan is now full of bandits, and the righteous army is rising, the reason is that the Jurchens directly manage the place and turn back history.

According to investigation, Luoyang, Xijing, that is, the area of Henan Province, because of repeated military disasters, and thieves scurrying, resulting in a sharp decrease in household registration, serious damage, Luoyang City's Jin army is relatively small, Jin in order to suppress, in Zhengzhou west of Tokyo gathered more rear forces, mainly responsible for suppressing bandits, but also by the way to guard against the Western Army, this loophole, the Western Army can drill a drill.

But there is a problem, once the Western Army is dispatched and enters Henan from Tongguan, it is impossible to hide from the eyes of the Shaanxi Jin Army. What should the other side do if they know that we have mobilized troops and attacked on a large scale? Yang Yan's defense area has not been recovered for a long time, and the strength is relatively weak, don't let us save Xianghan and lose the Guanzhong Plain.

After discussing with several marshals, Xu Wei decided that the troops would go out of Tongguan and be undertaken by Qin Fengshuai and Liangxing Pacification Division. However, after these two divisions sent troops, the emptiness of troops caused by them was made up by the Xihe Shuai Division and the Jingyuan Shuai Division.

After Qin Fengjun and the Liangxing army left, the Xihe Shuai Division had to send troops to arch forward in case of accidents. Jingyuan has the strongest troops, and its location is adjacent to Qin Feng and Huanqing, and its task is to pay attention to the situation, and where there is a need, it will pounce. If necessary, after Qin Feng Liangxing's troops are dispatched, Jingyuan Shuaisi can allocate troops and enter Fengxiang Mansion, so that if there is something, he can also respond quickly. Liu Guangshi and Yang Yan don't have to do anything, they just sleep with their eyes open.

All these arrangements, Xu Churen saw in his eyes. Privately told Wang Shu and Xu Liu, fortunately, the imperial court used Xu Jiu's general section of the Western Army, seeing no, such a big movement, so many arrangements, just Xu Jiu was there to call the command, a few handsome, which one is not a big deal, but there is a person who says half a word? This is where the prestige of the Purple Golden Tiger goes!

Wang Shu replied to him, Nai people were interested, he said, does anyone dare to say a word?

On the table, Xu Wei is the envoy appointed by the imperial court, the head of the Western Army, and has the right to dispose of officials at the first level. And although Xu Wei's qualifications are not the thickest, he has a great reputation and is very popular with the military. But privately speaking, in the past few years, Zijin Tiger has won the hearts of the people through a series of actions, making the top and bottom satisfied. Finally, and most importantly, he himself is Qin Fengshuai, holding one of the most elite troops in the Western Army, which is a powerful deterrent. Moreover, after the loss of half of Shaanxi, the logistics of the Western Army mainly relied on Sichuan, so that the arrogant soldiers had to be restrained. Moreover, the implementation of the camp law made several marshals need Xu Jiuzhou from time to time.

Based on these reasons, how could Xu Wei's position be unstable?