In the second hall of the Dingrong Zhijun Yamen, Xu Wei sat on the top, holding a letter and looking at it. Zhang Qing buried his head in the public case, and from time to time he wrote for approval, and when he was in Xujiazhuang, he had read a few sentences of the book and recognized a few words. But in the past two years, Yu Rong Ma has often been unable to release the papers, and he has learned a good way. Wang Yan stood at the door, looked at the sky outside, and scolded, it was estimated that it was going to rain. Wu Jie held a teacup, but he didn't drink it, and occasionally looked up at Zhijun.

"I didn't expect it to be him." Xu Wei put down the letter and laughed loudly.

When Wang Yan heard this, he strode over and asked, "What?" ”

"This is an official letter from the Shuai Mansion, asking me to go to Jingzhao with Qu Shuai at the end of this month. The new Shaanxi envoy wants to meet with the six road marshals. Xu Wei replied.

The three people in the hall didn't notice anything different when they first heard this, but when they came back to their senses, they realized that Lord Zhijun was not among the commanders, right? Why did the new envoy want to see him? Wang Yan frowned and asked, "I don't know which chief came to power?" ”

"Guess." Xu Wei stood up and pretended to be mysterious. To be honest, this person didn't even expect him, but he didn't feel strange when he thought about it, he was the confidant of the official family, and the military power of the Sixth Route in Shaanxi was almost the entire military family for the Great Song Dynasty, so of course this candidate should be cautious.

"In the planter? The farmer is now the only one left of his fruits, and with his seniority and prestige in Shaanxi, he should be able to hold it down. Wang Yan said tentatively.

Xu Wei shook his head, and Wang Yan said again when he saw this: "Yao Gu? He used to be the marshal of Xihe, King Jingkang Qin had no merit and hard work, and besides, his son Yao Pingzhong was the beloved general of the official family. ”

Xu Wei still shook his head and looked at Wu Jie again. The latter held the teacup and thought for a while, and suddenly said, "Could it be Tianfu Gong?" ”

"It's not right, the new Shaanxi Sixth Road System Envoy is Shaobao He Guan." Xu Wei revealed the mystery. As soon as these words came out, even Zhang Qing, who was deaf to him, raised his head in surprise. What is it? Since the first year of Jingkang, this veteran seems to have never led a single army, right? He came to control the six-way army in Shaanxi?

Everyone in the hall, except for Xu Wei, not long after Zhang Qing joined the army, Wu Jie, a general under Xu Yuan before joining the Hujie Township Army, was the only one who was a serious officer, and he knew a little bit about the figures in the army. questioned at the moment: "He Shaobao ascended to the top with martial arts, and first served in Hedong. Later, he worked as an inspection envoy in Fuzhou for a period of time, and then he was transferred to Hedong as a general. Looking at his resume, he stayed in Hedong longer than in Shaanxi, and he came to be the coach of the Sixth Road, which ......"

Although Xu Wei also felt that this appointment was a bit abrupt, he still said: "Shaanxi will mainly face Hedong in the future, or take into account his experience in Hedong." I'll leave tomorrow, government affairs, Zhang Qing quit his hard work, and he bothered more, so I will ask Brother Zicai and Brother Jin Qing in the army. This time I went to Jingzhao, no matter what, even if I didn't leave the Xuanfu Yamen, I had to complete the staffing, and our brother Hujie was not three-headed and six-armed. All three were commanded.

Early the next morning, Xu Wei only took Du Feihu and five or six guards, went to the Huazhou Marshal's Mansion first, cooperated with Qu Duan, and went straight to Jingzhao, but found that Yao Pingzhong was also there. Shaanhua Road was next to Jingzhao, only two hundred miles away, and before noon the next day, they stepped into Chang'an City. Compared with what he saw when he went to Jingzhao last time, Xu Wei found that after Li Gang's hard work, the ancient capital of these dynasties has a new look, and all walks of life are thriving. Even compared to the city of Tokyo, a "military patrol shop" was established. This small change made him realize that Li Gang might be actively fighting, hoping that if the official family retreated to Guanzhong, Jingzhao would be the first choice.

When he arrived here, although he was ordered by the envoy He Guan, Li Gang was the highest military and political chief after all, so he first went to Xuanfu Yamen to worship Li Gang, and then went to the pavilion to stay, waiting for the six marshals to gather. Xu Wei entered the room, he was a little tired all the way, and he was going to lie down for a while, but before his body touched the bed, the door rang.

When I opened the door, there was an officer standing outside, who I didn't know, and he was clasping his fists at him and said: "The humble position is under the command of Zhang Dashuai, and I am ordered by the marshal to invite Xu Zhijun to eat downstairs." ”

Zhang Dashuai naturally refers to Yan Yanjing's slight appeasement of Zhang Shen, he used to be Xu Zhang's old subordinate, although he has nothing to do with Xu Wei, but in terms of seniority, he must be regarded as an elder. Since he sent someone to summon him, he should go both publicly and privately. Then he returned to the officer, cleaned up a little, and went downstairs.

It is not difficult to see from the fact that all the people who come and go are martial artists, and this pavilion is probably a place for the six road marshals to rest temporarily. There is a dining hall downstairs, and at this time, many military attachés dressed neatly and dressed in battle robes are sitting around the table and drinking and talking. The officer led Xu Wei all the way to the front hall, and arrived at a courtyard at the back, thinking that it was Zhang Dashuai's accommodation. The door of one of the rooms was half hidden, and the officer stepped forward to push it open, turned sideways to the side and said, "Xu Zhijun, please." ”

Before entering the room, the noise was already heard, and the gathering of soldiers was like this, there was no Svenwen, and some were just like a bell. Stepping into the inner room, I saw that several people were already sitting at the table. The one who occupies the main position, outside the fifties, is extremely powerful, the beard on his face is thick and dense, and his eyes are bright. Seeing Xu Wei coming in, he laughed and said, "The Purple Gold Tiger is here!" With his roar, the others looked sideways, all wanting to see what Xu Jiu, who had become famous in the past two years, looked like.

Xu Wei stepped forward, hugged his fists and said: "Humble Xu Wei, I've seen the handsome." ”

"That's it, come on, come on, I'll introduce you for you." Zhang Shen stood up, pulled Xu Wei over, and pointed to a young general who was about thirty years old, with a white face and short beard, and his eyes were attentive, and was looking at him with a smile and said: "This is the son of Liu Dashuai of the late Xihe, Liu Qi, Uncle Zixin, like you, in the family for nine." ”

Liu Qi stood up and bowed to Xu Weiyi: "Humble Liu Jiu, I have seen Xu Zhijun, and I have admired the name of the Purple Golden Tiger for a long time, like thunder. ”

Xu Wei stretched out his hand to support him and said with a smile: "You're welcome, Xu Jiu's false name is all raised by his comrades in the army, and it can't be taken seriously." ”

Liu Qi also smiled and said: "Zijin protects the bridge for five days and nights, Qixian County burns 100,000 stones of grain, and Hebei chases thieves for thousands of miles, aren't these all lifts?" ”

The voice fell, and another person said: "Yes, Xu Ziang has a brilliant record in the past few years, why should he be too humble?" The man who spoke was estimated to be in his forties, with big ears, no eyebrows, and a fat birth.

Zhang Shen heard the words and introduced: "This is Liu Guangshi, the deputy envoy of Yan Jingluo and the deputy head of the army and horses. ”

At the beginning, Xu Zhang commanded the Shaanxi Five-Route Western Army, and Liu Guangshi was also in the army, but he had never met Xu Wei. At this time, when I first saw him, Xu Wei looked at it twice, this is Liu Guangshi? The head of the Seven Kings of the Southern Song Dynasty in history? Even Yue Fei and Han Shizhong are the ones behind him?

At present, the official rank, except for Zhang Shen, who has already established a festival, Xu Wei and Liu Guangshi are all "Chengxuan envoys", and they are on an equal footing. What is surprising is that Liu Qi is just a "pavilion marquis", a lot shorter than everyone present. Didn't Zhang Shen just say that his late father was the original Xihe handsome?

After sitting down, serving the wine and food, Zhang Shen smiled and said: "Ziang, there is something left in Ben Shuai's heart that is not unhappy." Fortunately, I'm not an outsider, and I'm telling the truth. ”

Xu Wei said: "Handsome but with instructions, humble and listening." ”

"On that day, you led the army to recruit Hedong, and the Prime Minister Xuanfu originally planned to transfer my Yan Yan troops to help in the battle. It's just that you also know that at that time, there was a fierce battle with the party members, and there was really no way to draw troops. Ben Shuai has been hanging his heart for you, but then I thought about it, who are you Xu Jiu? Xu Shaobao's general, don't say that Li Zhi is a pickled pig and a dog, even if he is a Jurchen, what can you do? As a result, Xiaoxishan Li Zhi ran away with his tail between his legs, and the Jurchens also got out, and the two of you brothers waved their troops to Taiyuan. Come, just by virtue of this, a toast to you! Zhang Shen raised his wine glass and said with pride.

Although Xu Wei said it politely, he understood it in his heart. It's not that you can't draw troops, but you don't want to go. World friendship is world friendship, when it comes to practicality, no friendship will work. In Shaanxi, you have to rely on yourself for everything. These generals of the Western Army seem to be like big bosses, but they are better than monkeys one by one, and they have to be more careful when dealing with them.

The three chiefs were eating and drinking, Liu Qi said little, but he was not at a loss, he was calm, and he added wine from time to time. When Zhang Shen and Liu Guangshi were talking, he listened attentively, and no matter what the other party said, he would not show the slightest expression on his face. And when it comes to the grievances of the Western Army, he is sitting in a precarious position.

Xu Wei noticed him, so he brought the pot to fill him with a cup, and Liu Qi got up and said he didn't dare. Zhang Shenzheng and Liu Guangshi had a big discussion, saying that if the Jurchen returned, Shaanxi would be the place where the golden dog would be buried. ”

Liu Qi was ordered to sit down and drink this glass of wine. Seeing this, Xu Wei felt that this person was good. It happened that Zhang Dashuai was drinking happily, patted him on the shoulder and said: "Xu Jiu, Ling Zun treated me very well back then, I, Zhang Shen, am a person who knows how to repay my kindness, you are in Dingrong, but there are difficulties, as long as Ben Shuai can help, just bring a letter." ”

When Xu Wei heard this, his heart moved, and he smiled: "Oh? That being the case, the junior has a reluctant request. ”

Zhang Shen was stunned for a moment, then slapped the table and said, "Say!" It doesn't hurt to be straight! ”

"I believe that the marshal also knows that the soldiers and horses under the command of the lowly post all started from the township soldiers and were pulled up single-handedly. It will be difficult to find this kind of soldier, and the shortage of commanders at all levels still exists today. Humble is to ......"

Before Xu Wei finished speaking, Zhang Shen intercepted: "It's easy to say!" It's a trifle! When Ben Shuai returns to Yan'an, he will stay for you, ah, a word is a certainty, come and come, drink and drink, and don't talk about business. "Can he see what Xu Wei has in mind? So I gagged him as soon as possible.

Xu Wei knew that this was the result, and he was not surprised, he glanced at Liu Qi, and he was still so calm.

The next day, the six marshals of Shaanxi gathered and went to the envoy to meet He Guan. As everyone knows, the establishment of an envoy is a temporary position, like a "commander-in-chief," which is set up as soon as the end of the war is started and abolished as soon as the battle is over. But now, there is no war in the Sixth Road of Shaanxi, but the imperial court has sent He Guan to take this position, and the commanders of the Sixth Road can't understand the reason in their hearts, are they ready to go to war?

On the top of the hall, He Guan sat high in military uniform, he was not tall, but he was extremely strong, sitting in front of the handsome case like an iron tower, his eyes were blazing like firelight, he looked around at the marshals under the hall, and said loudly: "Today, the imperial court ordered the envoy to be the envoy of the Shaanxi Six Roads, not for the war accident." The ruling of the DPRK and the Central People's Republic of China thought that the situation in Hedong had improved, and they could rely on it, so they ordered to come and prepare as soon as possible. Today, recruit the six road marshals to the court, what are your suggestions for the current situation in Hedong? ”

This question was asked by the six road marshals. Hedong? If you want to ask about the situation in Hedong, you should go to Xu Jiu, he is the head of the Hedong Righteous Army, and the mess of the Hedong Righteous Army is maintained by him, ask me what are you doing?

He Guan saw that the marshals were silent, and was about to ask again, but saw Shaanxi Hua Shuai Qu standing up and said: "Yu Shaobao, the situation in Hedong has indeed improved today." In the southeast of the river, there are 300,000 righteous troops, which occupy Pingyang, Zhaode, Jiang, Ze and other prefectures. Jingkang made peace, Li Wei did not dare to raise a large army to invade the south of Hedong, and the righteous army took this opportunity to often send commanders at all levels to Shaanxi and China for training, in preparation for his recovery of Heshan one day. ”

It's strange, Xu Wei is the official leader of the Hedong Righteous Army, how can he know so much about the situation in Hedong? Oh, yes, he's the boss of Shaanxi Hua and Xu Wei, so he knows better, right? It's not right, I heard that as soon as Qu Duan arrived, he had an unpleasant quarrel with Xu Wei, and Zijin Hu also led people to break into Hezhong Mansion, confiscated the weapons of his subordinates, and caused the third division to send someone to mediate, so that the matter was settled.

"Good! Before leaving Beijing, the official family summoned me several times, saying that he could not bear to abandon the people of the two rivers Yu Diyi, and repeatedly warned that the first task of taking charge of the military power in Shaanxi was to maintain the east of the river. Not long after Qu Shiyin took office, it was not easy for him to have such an understanding of the situation in Hedong. He Guan exclaimed.

Qu Duan thanked him and sat back without changing his face. Others didn't care, but they were angry with a handsome man in the hall. Who are you? Jingyuan Shuai Xu Yuan, Xu Wei's eldest brother. Qu Duan used to be his deputy, and the relationship between the two was really incompatible, almost to the point of using a knife, and when he heard the news that he was going to be transferred, Xu Yuan was still happy for a while. But later I learned that he went to the newly formed Shaanxi Hua Road to serve as a pacification envoy, and he couldn't help but worry about his younger brother. The results were unexpected...... The ninth brother of my family is the head of the Hedong Righteous Army, and Hedong can have the current situation, I Xu Yuan said without blushing at all, almost all of it was handled by the ninth brother. You are here to talk about the situation in Hedong without shame, have you forgotten the matter of the Pingyang Righteous Army?

"There is a matter to inform you in advance, the privy minister Xu Shao, at the end of last year made a proposal to the official family on the situation in the two rivers. The land of the two rivers is a national barrier, if it is well managed, the Central Plains can be consolidated, and the southeast can also be protected. If you ignore it and let Gao Shi be swallowed by Li Zhi and others, it is like a thief who invades the city, does not strengthen the city defense, and only sits in the lobby, and cannot be preserved. The official family thought so deeply and asked what the strategy was, and the privy minister suggested that the Zhaofu Department be set up in Hebei and the Economic System Department in Hedong. Prior to the appointment of this officer, the detailed division had already approved the establishment of the two divisions. I believe that in the near future, it will be able to create a grass-roots creation, and it will surely inspire the hearts of the military and the people of the two rivers. ”

After He Guan said this, the marshals all echoed a few words, praising the wisdom of the officials and the blessings of the soldiers and people of the two rivers. But the curly end smelled unusual. The establishment of the Zhaofu Division in Hebei does not care about his business, and the establishment of the Economic System Division in Hedong has a close relationship with him.

The word "economic system" is derived from "economic system money", which is a variety of additional miscellaneous taxes added during the Xuanhe period of the Song Dynasty. These miscellaneous taxes were levied for only one purpose, that is, to "accumulate between small and small amounts to help military spending." To put it bluntly, it is a special financial fund, which is only used for military spending. Now the establishment of the Hedong Economic System Department is definitely not for the purpose of collecting taxes in Hedong, but hundreds of thousands of righteous soldiers, who can't feed their own stomachs, and where can they get the money to pay taxes. If it is not to pay taxes, it must be "taxes", and the imperial court has decided to support the rebels? In this way, Xu Wei's "Hedong Righteous Army Commander" is worth a lot...... After He Guan conveyed the instructions of the imperial court, he ordered the six marshals to go by themselves and get together for drinks at lunchtime. The five marshals went, and Duqu Duan stayed and did not leave, and he kept waiting outside the festival hall, and repeatedly invited people to come in to tell him, saying that he had something important to see He Shaobao. After a while, a word came down that it was for him to wait for tea in the flower hall.

Qu Duan went to the flower hall and tasted tea unintentionally. Thinking carefully about the matter of Fang Cai, since the Economic System Department is a separate division, it is directly responsible to the central government, and its power should not be small. This also shows that the imperial court has begun to attach importance to the strength of the righteous army. If you go to school, the hundreds of thousands of rabble in the south of Hedong are not worth mentioning, but with the support of the imperial court in terms of money, food and materials, it will not be the same. But now, the imperial court does not have a special agency to manage the affairs of the righteous army, only Xu Wei is also the "head of the Hedong Righteous Army", and it is said that he also served as the "Inspector of the Lianghe Righteous Army" in the past. In the part of the righteous army, I am afraid that all the military ministers of the Great Song Dynasty are not qualified to be old, tricky, tricky...... As he was thinking, he heard the footsteps getting closer and closer, and knew how he had arrived, so he got up to greet him. He Guan had already changed out of his military uniform, changed into a public uniform, and after entering the flower hall, he glanced at him, went straight to the main seat and sat down, and then beckoned: "Sit, Qu Shuai is going and coming back, what's the matter?" ”

Qu Duan groaned slightly, and said: "There is a big matter in the future, and you must discuss it with Shaobao." ”

"Oh? Big deal? "Although He Guan also worked in Shaanxi in the past, he was not familiar with Qu Duan and did not know his people. Hearing this, I couldn't help but be a little skeptical.

"Yes, it's a matter of great urgency! If you can seize the opportunity, Hedong can recover in one fell swoop! If you wait and see, it will be too late to regret it. Qu Duan's face was full of solemnity, and no one could not believe it.

He Guan listened to him more and more mysterious, so he simply put down the teacup and didn't drink it, and hurriedly asked, "What are you talking about?" ”

"I don't know if Shaobao has ever heard that the Jurchens intend to choose one of the two from Li Zhi and Gao Shiyou to establish a pseudo-dynasty?" Qu Duan asked.

He Guan nodded, this matter is known to the whole dynasty, what is strange?

"That Shao Bao Ke also knows that Li Zhi's territory, soldiers and horses, are not as good as Gao Rebellion. Therefore, the Jurchens have a greater chance of choosing Gao Shiyou. And in this way, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers! Gao Shiyou will definitely not be able to tolerate Li Zhi, if the Jurchens are uneasy to deal with, and Li Zhi is a martial minister, how can he sit still and wait to be killed? ”