When the first rays of dawn shine into the city of Tokyo. This ancient capital of several dynasties has come to life. After last year's shock, the people of Tokyo now seem to have returned to their normal lives. In the market, men shouting trumpets are unloading fresh goods from horse-drawn carriages, and the shopkeepers of the shops are still sleepy, unopening the door panels, ready to usher in a new day. Everything seems to have returned to the days of harmony and tranquility before the war. Only the people who were still apprehensive before the shops were queuing up to purchase goods can people remember that the capital of the Great Song Dynasty has just experienced a frightening month.

Xu Wei rode a yellow horse and rode into the city alone. Seeing this lively scene, I don't know whether to be happy or worried. There have been several good news from the front line, Shouyang Yuci has been recovered one after another, and the government and the opposition are jubilant. Many people thought that it was only a matter of time before the siege of Taiyuan was lifted. Both the division and the fold are both famous generals in the Western Army, and Yao Pingzhong is the leader of the younger generation in the army, and the three of them will work together to turn the tide of the war.

This year's weather is a bit unusual compared to previous years, and it is still early in the morning in early July, but it is still uncomfortably hot. Running into the Bianhe River in a strand to cool it through. Xu Wei was only wearing a straight jacket, and he didn't tie the golden belt given by the emperor around his waist. A pure gold belt of twenty taels is enough to bear if it is tied to the waistband of the trousers every day. Even so, the passers-by, both men and women, couldn't help but take a few more looks.

There are very few people who recognize it, and even more quietly rumors, I don't know this? It was Xu Wei, the commander of the Yong battalion of the famous township, who blocked the Jurchen Diyi north of the Yellow River for five days and five nights! People who heard this couldn't help but be secretly surprised, so young? It's really a young hero, why don't we have such a promising offspring?

As he was walking slowly and enjoying the lively street scene, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him, and a man shouted, "Get out of the way!" When he looked back, he saw a horse galloping into the city, and immediately the sergeant was carrying a letter box and shouting along the road. The people of the capital stopped and watched, and after the messenger rushed over, they exchanged heads and talked about each other. Guessing where the battle report came from and what the result was.

Xu Wei kept staring at the messenger galloping by, and then he lifted the reins and urged his mount to go in the direction of the West Water Gate. When I returned home, my father was on duty in the Bu Military Division, my sister-in-law and three sisters were all out, and only the fourth brother Xu Sheng was at home. Since he was promoted to the rank of official, he entered Beijing to listen to it. He has been recuperating at home. When Xu Wei returned to the city this time, he invited him to Mutuogang and his party to make some suggestions on the training of the troops. Xu Sheng was flustered and readily agreed. When he left the house, he rode his horse and headed towards the Jingsui camp.

I didn't walk for a while, and I saw an official bridge hurrying away. The sedan chair drivers were all blushing, and the green tendons on their necks were rising, obviously the people in the sedan chair were urging them tightly. When passing by his two brothers, the sedan curtain was lifted, how could it be Li Shaozai? Li Gang also saw Xu Wei and hurriedly called: "Stop the sedan chair!" ”

The sedan chair drivers secretly screamed Fortunately, they hurriedly got off the sedan chair, and Li Gang didn't wait for the sedan chair to stop before he ran down. couldn't help but say, he pulled Xu Wei to a secluded place on the street, and after letting him go, he sighed: "This is a bad thing." ”

"How?" Xu Wei only felt his heart skip a beat, could it be that the messenger from earlier had bad news?

Li Gang hung his head and shook one after another, looking distressed. After a moment, he let out another long sigh. Only then did he say: "The official family urgently summoned me to the palace and asked the servant who passed the edict to know that something had happened in Taiyuan!" ”

Xu Wei's face changed abruptly: "Could it be that the Jin Army is going south again?" ”

"No, it's Yao Pingzhong." When Li Gang said this, the heavy look on his face was moving. News had just come from the front line that Yao Pingzhong's troops had fallen into the heavy encirclement of the Jin army in the East Valley, more than ten miles north of Yuci, and nearly 40,000 horses and horses could not escape, and finally less than half of them broke through under the rescue of the seed division. What's even worse is that Yuci County, the southern gate of Taiyuan, has gained and lost, and now the Song army is very passive!

"The three-way army advances and retreats together, how can it be ......" Xu Wei was puzzled. The imperial soldiers had already set their tactics before, fought steadily and steadily, step by step, not seeking victory, but seeking deterrence. How can it be okay to plant a teacher and ask for it, but Yao Pingzhong is under siege? You must know that the troops left by Sticky Han to besiege Taiyuan are limited, and Yao Pingzhong has close to 40,000 horse infantry troops in his hands! And they are all fully manned, powerful Western Army troops, and less than half of them have broken through?

When Li Gang heard this, he said helplessly: "The battle report in the division said that Yao Pingzhong disobeyed the military order, advanced without authorization, and fell for the Jurchens' strategy of luring the enemy to go deeper, which led to a big defeat!" However, Yao Pingzhong's military report said that it was the middle of the division that caused him to fight alone and fall into the siege of the Jin army. ”

Xu Wei immediately questioned: "Although Yao Chong and the two are both deputy envoys, the imperial court has made a clear order. With the control of Yao in the seed division, what qualifications does he have to write a military report to the imperial court? ”

When Li Gang heard this, he was speechless for a long time, and after a long while, he replied in a flickering voice: "I think the official family has other arrangements." ”

Seeing him like this, Xu Wei thought to himself, afraid that there was no other arrangement. Zhao Huan has recently ascended the throne, and he is very important to Yao Pingzhong. It can be seen from the treatment of the seed master that the new monarch thinks that such veterans are overwhelmed, and wants to train young generals to take them instead.

"Xu Wei, what do you think about Taiyuan?" After a while, Li Gang asked.

Facing this person who was respected as a national hero by later generations, Xu Wei was speechless for a while. Since the imperial court sent a general to the expedition, it should at least guarantee his right to command. Judging from this incident, Zhao Huan still followed the old system of the Zhao family, although he did not use Wenchen and eunuchs to run the army, but he still habitually used the trick of letting the generals contain each other! It can be said that Yao Pingzhong was defeated, although he was to blame. But the roots are in Tokyo!

Yao Pingzhong does have some skills, but it is the same as the seed master Dao evaluates him. This person is so vain, especially he can't help but boast. In history, Zhao Huan praised him and promised a heavy reward, this man had a hot head and led the troops to rob the gold camp. After the defeat, he fled overnight, and the meat buns beat the dog and never returned. This time it's pretty much the same. Before the battle was over, Zhao Huan made a promise to him to "make a festival envoy". Can he not get his blood boiling? As soon as he boiled, he poured it well, and directly put Taiyuan into an impasse! It is already July now, and in another month, the Jin army may invade the south for the second time, and then there will be a good show to watch.

Li Gang saw that Xu Wei was silent, thinking that he had some scruples and didn't want to say more, so he was so anxious that he stomped his foot and said loudly: "When the national disaster is at the head, you are a military minister, how can you also learn to be angry?" What can be done? Continue to increase troops in Taiyuan? But who should be sent? Xu Jiu! If you don't say anything, the official will drag you to meet you! ”

One is Shaozai, the second phase of the Great Song Dynasty, with a high position. One is the seven products, the township soldiers, and the people are frivolous. Li Gang disregarded his identity and sought advice from Xu Wei for no other reason. A few days ago, he had already learned from He Guan that before the Jin army went south, Xu Wei had already asserted the time and route of his troops. On that day, Xu Wei's understanding of the situation and his anti-gold strategy coincided with him. is in a hurry, and there is not much to take care of.

"Remove Yao Pingzhong." Xu Wei said in a deep voice.

Li Gang was taken aback and questioned: "Why did you remove him?" Before the matter was clarified......"

"Li Shaozai, unified command is the premise of the operation, if the troops fight separately, the final result can only be broken one by one. At present, in July, the climate is the hottest, if the siege of Taiyuan has not been solved after July, the consequences are worrying. Xu Wei didn't wait for him to finish, and directly suggested.

Li Gang pondered for a moment and asked: "Although this official is a civil minister, he also knows that changing the battle will be a taboo for soldiers, if Yao Pingzhong is removed and replaced by someone else, he will not know the soldiers." How to fight? ”

Xu Weiqian agreed: "That's true, but the meaning of the humble position, there is no need to send someone to replace him, just to give his troops to the unified command of the seed division." In this way, it may be possible to fight with the Jin army. Li Gang thought for a while, but didn't say anything, only said that he was in a hurry to enter the palace, and he didn't dare to delay for too long, so he hurriedly said goodbye to Xu Wei.

On the way to Mu Huogang, Xu Wei told Xu Sheng about the incident. To his surprise, although the fourth brother also felt sorry, he didn't feel that the imperial court had done anything wrong. This made him feel a little chilled, after more than a hundred years, the people who led the troops in the Great Song Dynasty have become accustomed to using literature to control the military. As military ministers, they instinctively avoided politics and did not dissuade them even when they saw something that was clearly contrary to military common sense. Now Xu Wei understands that Yue Fei has defeated the Jin army in a row and stationed in Zhuxian Town, which is close to the hometown of Tokyo. But under the urgent call of the twelve gold medals, he gave up the good situation and went back to die helplessly. The reason is not only that people often say that they are foolish and loyal, but that in the bones of the generals of the Great Song Dynasty, they have surrendered to the civil official group! And the head of this civilian-bureaucratic clique is not the prime minister, but the emperor!

Two days later, Zhao Huan issued an edict, but did not remove Yao Pingzhong from any position, but only promoted the seed division to the Hedong system envoy, and ordered him to command the three-way army in a unified manner. Nonetheless, this appointment has gone a long way in turning the tide. In early July, the division had not yet started a war with the Jin army, but it often sent cavalry units to harass the enemy. The hottest time of the year has reached its peak, and the Jin soldiers can hardly endure the scorching heat, and Wanyan Yinshu can even send someone to report to the sticky Han who was sitting in Xijing, the former Liao State, asking for a temporary withdrawal. But before Sticky Han could reply, the prime ministers of the Great Song Dynasty thought that they had been surrounded long enough and should march into the army. In fact, because of the recovery of Shouyang Yuci, the ministers of the main battle faction were overjoyed. But that joy has not passed, Yao Pingzhong was defeated, and Yuci was lost again, which made their excitement fall to the bottom. Li Bangyan, Zhang Bangchang and others took advantage of this incident to make a big deal because they hoped to lift the siege of Taiyuan as soon as possible, so that they would not be so passive in the court.

It rained heavily for two days in a row from July 11th! On July 13, the weather just turned around. According to the prediction of the planters, after the heavy rain, there will be more than ten consecutive days of scorching days, and it will be more unbearable than before the rain. As long as it takes about five days to launch a general attack, even if the Jin army is undefeated, it will undoubtedly retreat. But the prime ministers urged him to attack by July 15.