Xu Wei smiled, and then said to his daughter: "I've seen your brother." ”

Xu Yan is seven years old, the little girl's eyebrows and eyes are very similar to her mother, wearing a water-green narrow sleeve, a snow-white fox fur jacket on the outside, reflecting the red fluttering face is extremely squeamish, a pair of watery eyes are full of aura, she is really a little beauty. Listening to his father's instructions, he put his hands in front of his abdomen in an orderly manner, bent his knees, and said to his cousin, "Brother Wanfu." ”

Xu Cheng said that he was two and a half years older than Xu Wei, but this ethical generation was sloppy, and he also bowed his hand and said, "Sister." ”

Xu Wei kept looking at his daughter with a smile on his face, and when his brother and sister saw each other, he said, "Go, go to your mother and accompany you." "Zhang Jiujiu has been pregnant for seven months, and she has difficulty moving, so having her daughter by her side can also relieve her boredom.

After hearing this, Xu Yan gave her father a salute, and then ran and jumped away. Xu Cheng looked at his cousin's back and said with a smile: "Uncle Nine, why does my nephew think that in just a blink of an eye, my sister has grown from a baby to such a big age?" ”

Xu Wei smiled when he heard this: "What's so strange about this? I also think that the last time I saw you, you were still a prank, and your father and mother were so worried. Isn't it the same now...... Hey, I haven't noticed it yet, this big red official robe is very majestic! ”

Xu Chengyi arched his hand and said, "If it weren't for Uncle Jiu's support, how could my nephew be where he is today?" In Hangzhou, the Son of Heaven personally gave a visit, asked the ministers about family affairs, and then gave a special observation envoy to instruct the ministers to listen to the use under his uncle. ”

Xu Wei waved his hand: "It's not about supporting, your credit is there, who are you going to sacrifice prisoners?" By the way, how is your father's condition? ”

Speaking of this, Xu Cheng's face was clouded: "In winter, it's not very good, and I always say that my whole body hurts." The doctor told him to recuperate, but my uncle knew my father's temper and was always angry, alas......"

Zijin Tiger also seemed to feel sad, and sighed: "Big brother has fought all his life, and he has made countless battles, and it is inevitable that he will be old enough." Your brother will share more for him. ”

"Yes, in the past six months, Shuai Si's father has been unable to do anything, and Vice Marshal Wang and his brother have shared some of it. But his father still insisted on doing it himself when he encountered a big event, and his nephew persuaded him to rest more, but he scolded him, and he had no choice but to ......" Xu Cheng smiled bitterly.

Xu Wei was silent for a while, since he went to Jingyuan to visit, after such a long time, the eldest brother's condition has not improved, but has become more and more serious. It seems that I have to think farther. As soon as he thought of this, he said to Xu Cheng: "You come with me." ”

The uncle and nephew left the garden and went to Xu Wei's study to sit down, and Zijin Hu said: "Your father is old, and now he has a disease, and he is afraid that he will not be able to cope with the affairs of Jingyuan all the way." After you go back, just say what Uncle Nine said, let him consider retreating, unload the burden, and recuperate with peace of mind. ”

Hearing this, Xu Cheng was not surprised, nodded and said: "Don't dare to hide it from my uncle, when my nephew came, my father commanded me to tell my nephew, and my father also considered that he was old, his energy was low, and he was sick, and he also wanted to retire and live a quiet life for two years." Just ......"

Seeing his spitting appearance, Xu Wei said: "Say it directly." ”

"It's just that my father is worried that once he steps down, those arrogant generals and the Zhuqiang tribe in Jingyuan will not be able to suppress it, and the party members are always in the north, in case he learns that his father is stepping down, it may cause accidents." Xu Chengdao.

Xu Wei knew that his nephew's words were not all false. Starting from the eldest uncle Xu Mao, the Xu family has controlled the military power of Jingyuan Road for decades, and the eldest brother has a high prestige in the Jingyuan army and the border Zhuyili. Once he's not on stage, or rather, he's gone, there's definitely going to be some impact. However, it was far from what he was "worried about".

You must know that Jingyuan Road does not exist in isolation. Even if the eldest brother is gone one day, whether it is an arrogant soldier or a frontier general, who has the courage to take advantage of this to make waves? And what reason do they have to stir up trouble? Although the Xu family has held the military handle for decades, in the final analysis, should the army of Jingyuan Shuaisi be the private army of the Xu family?

Then again, though. If the eldest brother hands over the handsome seal, who will take over is a crucial question. If it is said that it is reported to the Xuanfu Disposal Department and a person is transferred from other places, it is obvious that the situation cannot be controlled. Moreover, Jingyuan Road is still the strongest road in Shaanxi, and now the Western Army is trying to recover Shaanxi, and Jingyuan Road cannot be tossed.

Therefore, the next Jingyuan marshal must be selected from the officials of Jingyuan Road. The eldest brother's intentions couldn't be more obvious, hoping that his eldest son Xu Yan would succeed him.

But this is impossible, although the Western Army has a tradition of replacing the father with the son, and the brother ending with the brother. But that mostly refers to middle and lower rank officers in the military. At the level of pacification, the imperial court has always been very cautious, even if it wants the children of the deceased to take over, it has not directly been hereditary, and it must be trained everywhere for many years before it can be ordained. For example, the eldest brother himself, after the death of the uncle, he was just a commander, and he had been promoted over the years, and when he entered the king of Jingqin, he was still only the deputy marshal of Jingyuan. Now, he wants Xu Yan to take over the position, how is it possible?

Even if I can do it, I will never do it, who is Xu Yan? Cunning people! If he is just "treacherous", forget it, the most worrying thing is that this guy doesn't know the severity, is self-righteous, and learns his father's "domineering" cleanly, but he doesn't have his old man's means and skills. If such a person is pushed up, sooner or later something will happen.

But this guy in front of him, needless to say, fights, has a relatively stable personality, does not panic in case of trouble, and is not afraid of danger, so he is a good candidate. But it's a pity that in the Jingyuan Army, the qualifications and prestige are not enough, and especially his eldest brother is on top. However, if you cultivate and experience, it is not impossible.

"I know what your father means, go back and tell him that this is very difficult." Xu Wei said in a deep voice. Compared with the statement in front of Xu Yuan last time, this time the Purple Gold Tiger was more direct.

"Yes, after my nephew goes back, I will tell my father truthfully." Xu Chengdao.

After a pause, Xu Wei looked at him and suddenly asked, "Xu Cheng, if one day, your father is not in the handsome position, what should you do?" ”

Xu Cheng had obviously thought about this issue, so he said without thinking: "No matter who succeeds him, my nephew must obey moderation. ”

Xu Wei chuckled lightly and nodded: "The truth is true, but you should also know that your father is bent on pushing your brother to power." "Xu Yan and Xu Cheng are not in harmony with the two brothers, and Zijin Hu knows this. If Xu Yan is in charge of Jingyuan Shuaiyin, then Xu Cheng will basically not do much in Jingyuan all the way.

Xu Cheng was silent, of course he knew his father's thoughts, and he also knew that once his brother ascended to the throne, he would be in Jingyuan. But what can be done? First of all, both parents prefer the "sensible and obedient" eldest brother, and secondly, the eldest brother is different from himself, he has been walking in Shuai Si since he was a shadow supplement, and Jingyuan and the big and small generals Zuo are respectful to him, and his influence is not comparable to himself. As an unpopular second son, he has almost no hope in Jingyuan. This is also the reason why he would rather stay under Uncle Nine than return to Jingyuan.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Xu Wei said in a deep voice: "At the beginning, you had already been in charge of Uncle Jiu, but Uncle still insisted on letting you go back to Jingyuan, do you know why?" ”

Xu Cheng raised his head, a little dazed, but seemed to hear a glimmer of hope from his uncle's words, so he muttered: "This, this is what I think, my uncle has considered it." ”

A strange smile flashed on Xu Wei's face: "You're really right, my uncle is really thinking about it." ”

Xu Cheng's expression changed, and he arched his hand and said, "Please make it clear to my uncle." ”

"Counting from your grandfather, the Xu family has been in Jingyuan for two generations, decades, although this is not uncommon in Shaanxi Zhulu, but no family has more time than your parents. Now that there are frequent wars, no one has the spare time to completely reorganize the Western Army, so maintaining stability is the first priority. You also knew about your father's offense against your boss and the court before, but in the end, it was all over, and that's why. If your father steps down, Jingyuan will still be inseparable from your family, and your father and some Jingyuan generals may want your eldest brother to come to power, but your uncle doesn't think so. Xu Wei directly picked it out.

Xu Cheng looked a little cramped, if he still didn't understand what Uncle Nine meant, he would be a fool. But the problem is that he never thought about it, and now it suddenly befell his head, and he couldn't react a little.

After a long time, he said: "I'm afraid my father won't agree to this." ”

"It doesn't matter if he doesn't agree." Xu Wei said with a smile. "It's not up to him to say that."

Xu Cheng was speechless, Xu Wei saw this, and stood up: "Think about what Uncle Nine said today, you should also save some trouble, don't always be like a dream worm." ”

At the end of the second year of Jianwu, Xu Wei made a move after Xu Cheng returned to Weizhou. He was authorized by the Sichuan and Shaanxi Xuanfu Disposal Division, and promoted Wang Yu, the former deputy marshal of Jingyuan, to "Chengxuan Envoy", which used to be called "Jiedu Observation and Staying", that is, preparing Jiedu Envoy. During this period of time, Wang Yu had no military exploits, and he did not have any outstanding merits in the position of deputy marshal of Jingyuan. Why elevate him? This is to let Xu Yuan know that he wants to engage in "hereditary", and the boss will not agree.

As soon as Xu Yuan received the news, he was anxious and annoyed, and scolded his cousin for being unkind and unjust, and his six relatives did not recognize him. But he can only scold, although he is the handsome man of Jingyuan, he is the overlord all the way to Jingyuan. But Jingyuan is only under the rule of Shaanxi in the end, and he can't control this kind of major personnel changes.

But scolding and scolding, Xu Yuan knew that he was in his sixties, and he couldn't sit in this handsome position for long, so he had to quickly pave a way for his son. He also knew that although Xu Jiu was the youngest brother in the family, he was now the highest military governor in Shaanxi, and even Xu Churen had to listen to his opinion on Shaanxi's affairs, as long as he was willing to help, nothing was impossible.

In view of this, Xu Da lowered his body frame and wrote a report to his cousin in person. did not mention who would succeed him, but took the initiative to propose that the boss reopen the mutual market, which is a great cause for the benefit of the country and the army.

As Hu Maochang said, Xu Yuan made a lot of profits from border smuggling, so he had the money to buy military rations everywhere. Now he took the initiative to ask for the reopening of Jingyuan, which means that he is willing to sacrifice this part of his interests in exchange for his cousin's support for his son.

Moreover, Xu Yuan considered that it was too difficult to be directly "hereditary" and almost impossible, so he retreated to the next best, hoping that Xu Yan could be appointed as the "deputy envoy of Jingluo pacification and the deputy head of the soldiers and horses", and it was okay to be a deputy to Wang Yu. With the Xu family's power and influence in Jingyuan, it will not be difficult to correct in a few years.

Xu Wei did not respond to the "kindness" released by his cousin, but went against the usual practice and "inexplicably" granted Xu Yuan's second son, Xu Cheng, the dispatch of "setting up the division to do office work". What does this mean? This means that Xu Cheng's identity has changed from an officer in Jingyuan to an official sent by the Department of Preparation.

As a result, Xu Da suddenly realized when he saw his cousin's hand. Lao Jiu wants Xu Cheng to take over Jingyuan's handsome position in the future!

Until the beginning of the third year of Jianwu, there was no news from Xu Yuan, and Jingyuan fell silent. Xu Wei didn't have time to take care of him, because he was working hard to recover all of Shaanxi.

The people who infiltrated Hedong sent back the news that there were several main rebel armies in Hedong. The first is the rebel army of Taihang Mountain, they are basically the old department of the Shao family brothers. In the past, when Xu Wei recruited Hedong, the rebel army of the two brothers Shao Xing and Shao Yi was the strongest, and Shao Yi personally led thousands of athletes to participate in the defense of Pingyang commanded by Xu Wei to defend the sheep and horse walls on the periphery. After Xu Wei withdrew from Hedong, the Shao family's righteous army suffered a heavy blow, and the two Shao brothers died one after another, so they had to abandon the city and move to Taihang Mountain to persist in resisting Jin.

The second is the "Red Turban Army" operating in the area of Lund Province and Zezhou, with red scarves as the symbol, and its leader is believed to be an officer who escaped from the city after the fall of Pingyang City. Because this rebel army fought under the banner of "Xu" and fought particularly bravely, Li Zhi attacked several times, but none of them did not return with a big defeat. Even the Jin army has suffered the loss of this rebel army, and at the beginning, because there were signs unfavorable to him in the country, Sticky Han hurriedly returned from Shaanxi and walked on the middle of Hedong, and was attacked by this rebel army.

In addition, the evidence that can prove that this Red Turban Army has the "blood" of the Tiger Army is that in addition to its military law training and many official and military regulations, they are also very different from other rebels. The rebels are generally similar to the guerrillas of later generations, they will fight if they win, and run away if they can't win. Before each military operation of the Red Turban Army, it has to go through careful planning and arrangement, and its slogan is "Death if you win", do you sound familiar?

The specific strength of these two rebel armies is not clear, but they are both claimed to be more than 100,000, and they should still have tens of thousands of people. In addition to them, there are more than a dozen other rebels, large and small. All of these rebels have one thing in common, that is, they regard themselves as subordinates of the Purple Golden Tiger. Xu Wei was also the head of the Hedong Righteous Army, and he supported the Righteous Army a lot, and even trained the generals of the Righteous Army, so the Hedong Righteous Army was grateful to him, and even called him "Father".

"How many are coming?" Xu Wei rode his horse in the Qinzhou market, and asked Zhang Qing beside him.

"There are two people here, both claiming to be Yang Jin's subordinates, and they are eager to meet Xianggong." Zhang Qing replied.

Hearing the words "Yang Jin", Xu Wei's face couldn't help but darken, so he urged the horse to go quickly. After a short time, when I went to the office of the preparation department, I went straight to the second hall, and when I arrived at the office of the preparation envoy, there were already two people waiting.

As soon as Xu Wei entered, Zhang Qing said "Prepare the Xianggong to arrive" at the exit, and the two of them stepped forward quickly, bowed their heads, and cried before they could say anything!

Xu Wei was stunned, saw the two of them crying on the ground, and said, "I know that it is not easy for you, and get up and speak." ”

Zhang Qing also stepped forward to help, and the two of them got up, one called Zheng Pu and the other called Huang Shou, both strong men in their thirties and forties, but they cried tears at this time.

After Xu Wei sat down, he immediately asked, "Are you two really Yang Jin's old department?" ”

"Recruit the public to be respectful, the two of us were both Yang Shou's generals in the past, and at that time, the humble position was the commander, and Huang Shou was the head of the capital." Zheng Pu replied. At that time, Xu Weiguan worshiped the "Hedong Recruiting Deputy Envoy", and the main envoy was Li Gang, so Zheng Pu was still called "Recruiting the Minister".

Xu Wei was silent for a while. Since he started his army, he has set a rule, charge ahead, retreat behind, and never give up his brother. He has been doing this for many years, but if there is an exception, it is Yang Jin.

Yang Jin, nicknamed "Hornless Cow", originally worked in a blockade in Xiajin County. Because of Ma Tai, Xu Wei, Yang Yan and others fought hard with him and formed a grudge. Later, the Purple Gold Tiger recruited troops in Tokyo, and Yang Jin brought a team of men to vote, and the two abandoned the old feud, and Yang Jin became a general under Xu Wei from then on.

After the Battle of Pingyang, Xu Wei was anxious to return to Shaanxi with the Zhejia Army to participate in the "Battle of Dingrong", so he left Yang Jin to defend Pingyang and served as the imperial envoy of Pingyang. In the Battle of Dingrong, the Western Army won a great victory, but unexpectedly, the situation changed sharply later, and Mu Han personally led a large army to take revenge. Since then, Yang Jin's department has become a lonely teacher hanging in the east of the river! Later, Xu Wei inquired in many ways and knew that Pingyang had fallen and all the defenders were killed...... "How Pingyang fell, and how Yang Jin died, you can tell me in detail." Zhang Qing urged.

Huang Shou wiped his tears and sighed: "Since the recruitment of Xianggong to return to Guanzhong, Yang Shouyu has held the city, whether the Jin and Han armies are attacking or surrendering, Yang Shouyu is unmoved, and leads the defenders to resist the city. Because of the two moats and three walls in Pingyang, the city is strong, the Jin army and the Korean army can not go down for several months, but at this time, there is a shortage of food in the city, our army kills cattle and horses for food, and the grain is exhausted, and the stomach is wrapped in coarse bran and wheat bran, and finally even the sand and bark are enough to satisfy hunger. No matter how difficult it is, Yang Shouyu warned us and others, 'Recruit the prime minister to be entrusted by Pingyang, even if they eat each other's blood and bones, and fight to the end, they should also persevere'. He also said that sooner or later, he would inevitably come back. ”

Speaking of this, Zheng Huanger couldn't help but cry again. Xu Wei also had a sad look on his face and bowed his head silently.

"After holding on for June, there was really no way to continue, and someone proposed to surrender Kaesong, and Yang Shouyu killed this person on the spot. Later, the Jin army broke through the sheep and horse wall, broke through the city gate, and after entering the city, they slaughtered everywhere. At that time, we were both in the crowd and were spared. But Yang Shouyu fought with wounded force, swore not to surrender, when he was martyred, he had been wounded by more than ten, lying on the street corner, when the Jin army stepped forward, he still scolded more than once, saying that the Hujie army only had a severed general, no surrender......"

"After we escaped from the city, we went to the rivers and lakes, contacted the old people, re-branded the banner, gathered the heroes of Hedong, and went to various places, so that there was today's red scarf. Over the years, we have all been looking forward to it, hoping that one day, the prime minister can return to Hedong! Today, hundreds of thousands of Zhongyi in Hedong regard themselves as the old department of Xianggong, and I hope that Xianggong will cross the Yellow River as soon as possible! Restore the old soil! ”