Most of the people in the city, except for some brave volunteers who stayed behind to assist the officers and soldiers, had withdrawn to Huashan in the south. There is a large camp founded by Xu Zhijun at the beginning, and if the front line is lost, the people can still run into the mountains. No matter how powerful you Jurchens are, can you come to Huashan? Have you ever seen how steep Mount Hua is?

In the market, the procession of patrols is often staggered, and the city has entered a state of "military control", and everything must make way for the war. A knight rushed in through the west gate of Dingrong, and no one dared to stop him without shouting, but by the clothes he was wearing and the letter bag he was carrying on his back. Because he is a gold medal fast horse from Jingzhao. Specially convey urgent military information, or two orders. Some soldiers counted, and the gold medal fast horse was already the eighth general to appear in Dingrong City. "Urgent order from the Preparation Division!" The messenger grabbed the reins in front of the Dingrong Zhijun Office, jumped off the war horse, took the letter bag on his back and galloped into the yamen.

In the festival hall, the seed master and Xu Yuan, as well as a group of generals Zuo Zheng discussed the military situation, and no one was surprised to hear this. During this time, the two commanders in Chang'an City had already issued orders several times, urging our army to engage the enemy. But Lieutenant Chong has been pressing, and now the urgent thing is to finish the Yan Commission, our army is waiting for him to attack, or to return to Weishui.

"Bring it!" The planter shouted, and the messenger presented the letter with both hands, untied the string that tied the mouth, and took out an object. But it's not a gold card. Rather, it is a piece of wood, one foot long, painted with vermilion lacquer all over the body, and the back is engraved with the words "Urgent business before the army, do not enter the shop." "Meaning, this is an urgent military order, and the messenger is not allowed to enter the post station to hand it over, but can only pass it in turn on horseback. What is written on the front is the order of the Division.

"The soldiers of Huanqing Qin Feng have galloped to the aid of Yaozhou, and they will fight a decisive battle in the near future. The soldiers of Shaanxi and China, the enemy in the territory of the war, do not wait and see. If you do what is postponed. Military law. ”

After seeing it, the planter ordered someone to hand it over to Xu Yuan. The latter looked at it, and said silently: "The previous military order." They were all issued in the name of the two divisions, but this time it was signed by He Shaobao alone, what is the explanation? ”

Before that, He Shaobao was majestic, and Li Xuanfu was playing a round game, and the mud was low. Now the Department of Preparation and Development has ordered it separately. The wording was so harsh that the Chinese Planter paused here for a moment, and then added, "It seems that if we don't fight again, the two directors really plan to bring it to justice." ”

Xu Yuan was speechless for a while. Although he is also a son of the Xu family, he has been following his father Xu Mao in the northwest since he joined the army as a teenager, and has become a commander all the way to today, which can be said to be a standard general of the Western Army. When the Jin army invaded the south for the first time, he had just come down from the battlefield of attacking Liao, and was leading the Jingyuan soldiers to suppress thieves in Hedong. There were many bloody battles with the Jurchens. The troops brought out of Jingyuan were almost wiped out. finally returned to Shaanxi and brought up many soldiers and horses, in fact, his ideas were not much different from other Western army marshals. Li Gang ordered him to lead the Jingyuan troops into Shaanxi, and the reason why he came was not because he was willing to listen to the temperance of the two divisions, but to keep his brother's backyard from fire. Jingyuan Road can be said to be strong and strong in Shaanxi Zhulu, although he came, but left his eldest son to guard Jingyuan. The meaning is already obvious.

Especially a few days ago, after Xu Sheng told him about Xu Wei's intentions, he tended to contain the Jin army rather than take the initiative to fight a decisive battle. Just imagine, he had tens of thousands of elite soldiers, although the fourth brother did not have many people. But the Ninth Brother's Hujie Township Army is a strong force. After entering Dingrong, he appeared again that the treasure at the bottom of the Xu family's old nine pressure box was far more than the surface. Think about it, there are 40,000 township troops alone, and they are not half-, they are long-trained reserve troops. The troops of my three brothers are one plus, looking at the six roads in Shaanxi, who dares not to take us in their eyes? As soon as the Jin army withdraws, the imperial court will definitely come out at least all the way and let my brother take command. Now the Jin army is pinned down by me on the south bank of the Wei River. As long as he doesn't move, I won't move, anyway, the large armies of both sides are pressing here, and containment is already considered to be a good effort.

After a long while, he asked, "What does the captain mean?" ”

The seed master got up from behind the handsome case, stroked the handle of the knife and said, "Now this small place is Dingrong." It can be said that a small half of the troops of the Sixth Route of Shaanxi have been gathered, and if the battle is won, the situation will be reversed. But in case of defeat, Jingzhao will suffer from it, and even the whole of Shaanxi. will be implicated.

Therefore, what I mean is that I am not 100% sure, don't have a hard time with Jin Jun. Take 10,000 steps back. Even if you can't defeat the commissioner, at least you must ensure that you repel him, otherwise going to war is a risk and a big gamble. ”

These words were in Xu Yuan's arms, but looking at the gold medal in his hand, He Shaobao said this, if there is no decisive battle, I don't know what will happen to the top. But after thinking about it, the officials have all withdrawn to Jiang, Li Xuanfu and He Shaobao are all sent to Tokyo, and without the support of the two commanders and above, they can't do anything. And behind Li Xuanfu, my Xu family brothers have always supported him, especially Lao Jiu, so he won't take my brother under the knife, right?

"In that case, we can only put this gold medal on the shelf." Xu Yuan threw the gold medal on the table and said in a deep voice.

The seed master shook his head, paced to him and sat down, and then picked up the gold medal and looked at it: "No, whether you enter the army or not, there must be a reason." In this way, I replied to the two divisions, saying that the two armies were facing each other, and it was not appropriate to start a war when the time came. It is necessary to wait for the arrival of the troops from the east of the river before they can fight it. ”

Xu Yuan frowned when he heard this: "Although the two divisions sent troops to Hedong, no one can say when they will arrive." Will this be,

"You don't mean to rely on Brother Ling's means. Binh Duong will never fail? The planter asked, looking at him.

Xu Yuan nodded solemnly: "Not bad." Although my ninth brother is young, he is very capable, and I have full confidence in him. ”

"That's right, Wang Yu is my right-hand man. With his help to Xu Wei, Pingyang will definitely be a strong city and unbreakable. We will contain the concubine here, he retreats, I advance, he enters, and I guard. If the enemy does not move, I will not move. If the younger brother arrives, he will attack it together, and although there are many people, how can he not be defeated? The planter said with a smile.

Xu Yuan finally nodded in agreement, but said again: "Concubine Su has already controlled the river and guarded the pontoon bridge. took Shaanzhou and blocked Huangguan, even if the troops from Hedong arrived, how could they cross the Yellow River? ”

The smile on the face of the planter was also gloomy, and the commissioner was indeed good at using soldiers. He controlled all the main roads into Shaanxi and stormed the Western Army behind closed doors. It is really difficult to break this situation. As soon as he thought of this, he could only sigh: "Then it depends on the ability of the Purple Golden Tiger." ”

When the reply of the seed master and Xu Yuan reached Jingzhao, Li Gang disagreed, and He Guan was furious when he heard the news. You have enough troops, and you put your hopes on Xu Wei, who is out of reach? This is clearly a pretext! If Xu Wei doesn't come. You just stare at the dead Jin army? Without Xu Wei, Shaanxi Sixth Road is no longer alive? Xu Wei has some skills, but he can. If he is a good general, does he have the power to turn things around? What the? Did he reverse the situation when he robbed grain in Qi County? Right. That time he was great. But this time, the strength of the concubine's West Route Army is far from being comparable to the original Jin Army's East Road, and people are now blocked at the entrance of the Guanzhong Plain, how did Xu Wei come in?

The two divisions sent soldiers and horses to Hedong, but that army had saved Taiyuan before, and both times ended in failure. What? Blame Fanne? It doesn't matter who blames it. Defeat is defeat! Counting on the soldiers and horses from Hedong to come to the rescue, you might as well hope that it will rain arrows all over the world and kill all the Jin army!

Although Li Gang and He Guan were very dissatisfied with Xu Yuan's attitude of "waiting and seeing" among the seed masters, at this moment, the Yaozhou War was imminent, and their attention was focused on Qu Duan, and for a while. I can't take care of Rong. It's just that the gold medal was released as it was, urging the soldiers, and as for the punishment of Yunyun, there was no mention of it at all.

February 25, Chang'an City.

Li Gang, the highest military and political governor in Shaanxi, gave a banquet tonight to envoy He Guan. Since the defeat of the Sanlu Western Army in Hedong, the relationship between the two has been discordant, and they rarely move around except for official business. Today's banquet can be seen as Li Gang's thanks to He Guan for proposing the appointment of Quduan, if there is no Quduan, the current Chang'an City may have been attacked by the Jin army and lost.

In this sense, He Guan's suggestion. not only saved Jingzhao, but also saved Li Gang. Despite the impeachment of Ho Guan. The idea of asking the court to replace people has not changed because of Xu Yuan's immobility in the planters, but Li Gang felt that it was really necessary to thank He Guan in person.

In the past two days, military reports from the two divisions have arrived in succession. On February 22, Qin Feng's soldiers entered Yao through neighboring states, and Quduan immediately led his army north, and the king who had been looking forward to it seemed to have also sailed to Chunhua via Fuping on the same day. On 23 February, Qu Duan reported again that it had agreed with the friendly forces of the two routes to choose a decisive day. February 24, no report.

In the middle of the hall. Although the spring was still cold, Li Gang and He Guan sat around the table, and there was a charcoal stove below. Bake until you are warm all around. Shaanxi is a battleground for soldiers. Since the founding of the Great Song Dynasty, there has been a five-way pacification division to fight against the Jurchens for a long time. Therefore, the folk culture of this part of Shaanxi has also been influenced by the military. For example, the dishes on the table of the two officers are all dishes in the army. It is characterized by practicality and does not pursue flashiness. For example, the pot of meat buns in the middle is what the soldiers often wrap their stomachs.

It's just that when the soldiers eat, they take cooked mutton and stuff it into a coarse bun to fill their stomachs. Li Gang He poured this bite into it, but it was carefully made by the chef. The bun is brown on the outside. But it is never hard and brittle, and it is bitten down. I only feel that the strength is long, and the mouth is full of wheat fragrance. Another example is the meat sandwiched in it, which is by no means mutton, but bacon meat with a long history in Shaanxi. It is made of good hard ribs and more than 20 kinds of seasonings to cook the soup, which tastes fresh and fragrant.

"He Shaobao, taste this, Li Gang picked up two slices of meat from a plate. Put it in the bowl in front of He Guan. These two slices of meat are so large and thin that they can probably be seen through the lamp. It's been fried in the pan into rolls, look at the color, it's brown again, I don't know what is smeared on it.

He Guan was born in a martial arts, not so concubine Sven, put two pieces of meat in his mouth and chewed it, his eyes widened: "Not bad, full of taste." What is this dish called? ”

Li Gang said with a smile: "This is a famous dish in Sichuan rice, called big and small wipes of meat." The meat is cut very thinly, so it needs to be cooked and then knifed. Inevitably there are different sizes. And because when the pot is put down, the sauce needs to be smeared on the top, so it is called the size of the meat. "It seems that this dish should be the representative work of Sichuan cuisine in the later generations. Back to the pot meat.

He Guan nodded frequently: "Not bad." I heard that the Sichuan people are so idle that they sit around the tea shop when they have nothing to do. Gambling and listening to books. If you have a banquet for relatives and friends. Banquets are set up at large tables and even open-air banquets. The dishes are very particular. By the way, there is the "Chuan Hotel" in the city of Tokyo, and I have heard of it for a long time. But it is a pity that there is no time to patronize. If it weren't for the invitation today, I wouldn't have tasted this delicious food. ”

"Haha, make Shao Bao an important minister of the country. Busy with military affairs, he can't get out. Come on, please have a full drink, and the official has something to thank. "Li Gangqin

He Guan probably guessed what he was going to say, so he didn't go to the glass of toast and drank not a drop left, only then did he hear Li Gang sigh before he spoke, and then said: "I have been edicted to appease Shaanxi, shouldering the responsibility of raising soldiers, caring for the people, and resisting the enemy, for several years. It's also a lot of hard work. But every time the gang is saddened, there is nothing more than the lack of coordination between the commanders and the commanders of the various roads, and the command is chaotic.

Individual generals support their own troops and despise Youji! ”

When He Guan heard this, he interjected: "This kind of domineering habit has been cultivated for a long time, and it is really a major disease of the Western Army!" It has reached the point where it is incurable! ”

Seeing that he was talking so urgently, Li Gang chuckled and said, "Of course, it is necessary to treat, but it is also prioritized. For example, in today's Yaozhou, all walks of life are guarding the past, although they cover it up in every possible way. But it came to pass. They still sent their own troops to fight. After all, it is vital to the survival of Shaanxi Liulu. The marshals still distinguish between right and wrong

When He Guan heard this, he laughed secretly in his heart, in the end, it was Wenchen, sour, roundabout, where did he understand the accident in this army? The king seemed to have come, but he stopped three times. Wait and see. Qin Feng Zhao sent only one barnyard general, and brought less than 10,000 troops to join the division. Tear it apart and say. It is to see that the current situation in Shaanxi is uncertain, and there is an attempt to preserve strength. and the Xu family brothers you trust very much. What do you think? Shrinking in Dingrong and staring at Jin Jun face to face, he refused to take the initiative to attack! We have stayed in Shaanxi, and we know too well the nature of the Western Army, and if we do not firmly control the military power of the Western Army in the hands of the imperial court, we may not be able to cause any chaos in the future.

"Xianggong's house is kind-hearted, but it is only the side of Shaanxi. The road is uneven, and it is common to make mistakes, and you have to be careful. There is a sentence, He does not vomit unpleasantly, if there is a place for collision. Please also forgive me. He Guan changed his words.

Li Gang picked up the wine glass but put it down, and said with a straight face: "Listen to me." ”

He Guan also put down his chopsticks and pointed at Li Gang. Then he pointed to himself: "Xianggong and Guan are both loyal to the enthronement of the official family." You and I came to Shaanxi one after another. Why? Can't the prime minister see the intentions of the officials? Li Gang was silent.

Seeing this, He Guan simply confessed to him: "Presumably the public knows" Discuss the division in detail, right? The officials gathered the important ministers in the detailed discussion department to review the military and political gains and losses since the attack on Liao. If we talk about the loss of military affairs, it is better than that the soldiers have no fighting spirit and will not have the will to recruit, and the imperial court is also biased every time the civil servants lead the troops. Therefore. Xianggong, you preach in the front, and put the irrigation system in the back, that is, to revolutionize the shortcomings in the army. In my opinion, the Western Army is the strongest in combat and has the deepest bad habits! How can it be removed? It is to pick these marshals down and replace them with people like Qu Duan, so that the imperial court can really control the Western Army! ”

After Li Gang listened, he picked up his wine glass and shook it: "Even so, it will only be implemented after the Jin army retreats from all Shaanxi." ”

He Guan probably didn't notice that the tone of the other party's words was not a consultation, not a consultation, and laughed: "At this point, the prime minister can rest assured, I am also from a military background, how can I not know that the two countries are at war, and the most taboo is to overturn the general." ”

Li Gang seemed to want to say something, and his lips moved. But he didn't say half of it. After discussing it for a while, I wasn't even interested in mentioning anything that I wanted to thank him. After drinking for a while, Li Gang felt tasteless, and He Guan also said that the enemy was currently the enemy, and he couldn't drink more. For fear of making a mistake after drinking, I have to say goodbye and leave.

Li Gang got up to see him off, and only half a step out of the threshold of the side hall suddenly heard the sound of hurried footsteps coming from the corridor. Looking for prestige, I saw a few people in a hurry. The clanging of armor could be faintly heard.

"Report! Exultation! Great victory! ”

This roar instantly spread throughout the government office, and Li Gang and He Guan glanced at each other, and they were both shocked! Where does the joy come from? Where do you report it? Is it Yaozhou, or Dingrong? When they were puzzled, those people had already arrived in front of the hall and saw a general, who was no more than six feet five inches long. In his early twenties, his face was dark but he had no beard, and when he saw the two of them, he clasped his fists and saluted: "Humble and healthy, I have seen two ministers!" ”

Li Gang looked up and down and saw Kang Sui on top of his armor. There seems to be blood, could it be that the net came down from the battlefield? Then he quickly asked, "What did you just say?" Exultation? Great victory? ”

"Returning to the court! The lowly post is a general under the command of Qudu, and he was ordered to rush back to Chang'an with the good news Pegasus and report the victory to the two divisions! Kang Sui's voice was a little hoarse, and he took out the battle report from his arms and presented it with both hands.

He Guan seemed to be more anxious, and he didn't have the patience to look at it, so he asked directly: "How is the battle situation in Yaozhou, say it quickly!" ”

"This morning, Qu Du led the Third Route Army to fight with the Jin people in Chunhua, to Zhongyang, the enemy has been surrounded by me, and the army in the river led by Du Tong personally clashed back and forth, and the enemy was not counted. At noon, the Jin army was defeated, and then broke the siege and fled! Kang Sui replied loudly.

He Guan listened and sighed! What a curved end! You're the right one! This battle crushed the Jin army. The danger of Chang'an has been solved! Bought time for the follow-up arrangement of the two divisions! If you talk about it, you Qushi Yin should be the first!

Li Gang was also pleasantly surprised! My heart is beating wildly! Grab the battle report and take a closer look. In the military newspaper, Qu Duan described in detail the course of the battle and explained the duties of the various departments. He led the troops directly under the two divisions to line up for the main attack. Qin Fengbing cut off the back road of the Jin army, and Huanqing soldiers assisted from the side.

I read it all the way, but when I saw the second half of the battle report, the smile on Li Gang's face gradually disappeared, and his brows gradually tightened. When He Guan saw it, he hurriedly asked him for the battle report and checked it in detail.