Chapter 675: King Xu Jun

At this time, there is no ingenuity at all, and whoever is bold enough, thick-skinned and hard-skinned will be able to live. Most of the Xihe veterans who survived a hundred battles were folded in Juzhou and in the hands of a person named Yelu Ma Wu. The current Xihe Army was recruited and trained by Yao Pingzhong, or their actual combat experience is not as rich as that of veterans, but their courage is unquestionable.

Although the Iron Harrier slammed head-on, the spear array, which was as dense as a deep forest, did not waver in the slightest. After the thunderous blow, Yao Pingzhong's main formation was knocked out of a huge gap, and his tight formation failed to block the Iron Harrier......

Under the onslaught of the heavy cavalry, the soldiers were like a flat boat in the angry cháo, and they were swallowed up in an instant. And then, the infantry of the Xia army howled wildly and pressed up. At this moment, the soldiers and archers on the left flank quickly attacked and intercepted the Xia infantry from fighting. Fortunately, the Iron Harrier only came for one round, and because of too few troops and too many losses, he did not continue to attack. Yao Pingzhong seized this opportunity and commanded the troops to quickly reorganize the formation and hold the position.

The two armies were caught in a maddening bloody battle, and after two hours of fighting, the battle was still deadlocked. The infantry armies on both sides were mixed together, and they were all raised swords, with piercing blood on them! The howls of the soldiers are terrifying!

It was not until the afternoon that the Xia army gradually became exhausted, and it was at this time that the little captain was waiting for. The 3,500 cavalry troops quickly attacked, piercing back and forth across the vast battlefield and dividing the enemy army! At dusk, the Xia army could not resist and retreated into the city. After this battle, as soon as the Xihe army counted the results, they found that they had actually killed more than 4,000 people! Although the losses of the Xia army were much higher than those of the Xihe army, this still annoyed the little lieutenant very much. Since the Xia army retreated into the city, he swore that he would use the most sophisticated equipment to smash this fortified city!

And the Xia army, which retreated into the city, was also frightened by the superior strength and strong combat power of the Xihe army. They also knew that it was almost impossible to get large-scale reinforcements, and that they could only rely on themselves to keep Xiliang Mansion. Xiliangfu is located at the eastern end of the Hexi Corridor, the past dynasties, are the place where the soldiers must fight, the tall and strong city, that is the crystallization of the efforts of many generations.

Xia Jun was confident enough to be able to hold this fortress. But Yao Pingzhong is more confident, he can smash open this hard bone and suck the bone marrow inside. Because of his expedition this time, not only did he have the technical support of Weiyuan Artillery, but also a large number of new firearms sent by the Duzuo Academy.

The Thunder Arrow was originally a very convenient and fierce weapon. However, because of the equipment of the Xihe Army not long ago, the soldiers were not as skilled as Cào, and even because of a training accident, the soldiers resisted this new equipment. Therefore, it did not come in handy in the confrontation between the two armies.

But Yao Pingzhong still has the sky-shaking thunder in his hand, this kind of firearm is the simplest, and the soldiers used to use it, but the sky-shaking thunder is more powerful.

Before preparing to attack the city, the Xihe army raised hundreds of mighty cannons overnight, and the number continued to increase. The soldiers scavenged all the stones within a radius of more than ten miles and sent them all to the front of the battle.

The Western Army was preparing, and the Xia Army was not idle. From the previous wars against the Song Dynasty, they learned some advanced techniques from the other side. They had been able to build a strong crossbow at shècheng, place it on the enemy's horses, and deploy as many archers as possible to the head of the city, leaving reserves at each gate in case of contingency.

At the end of April, the Xihe Army officially began to attack the city. Before the attack, hundreds of Weiyuan cannons bombarded the city continuously. This new type of equipment, which does not rely on human intervention, has exerted great power! Moreover, because it is thrown by "counterweight", it is extremely economical in terms of troops. In the past, a giant cannon that could only be made by hundreds of people can now be easily leveled by a dozen soldiers. Not only that, but it also fires shè more frequently, and hundreds of artillery carts throw shè in batches, which is enough to maintain continuity.

This new type of artillery truck caused great losses and panic to the Xia army, and in the bombardment of a whole day, all the enemy towers on Xiliang City were destroyed, and the female walls on the city were missing many times, although the casualties of the soldiers were not large, but the fear spread among the army.

And what shocked them the most was the morning of the next day. The Xihe Army no longer uses stone bullets, but instead uses "earth-shaking thunder"! Shocking thunder, is Xu Wei's Hu'er army used the largest amount of firearms, it is an iron shell containing more than ten catties of medicine, the cannon fire, its sound is like thunder, hundreds of miles away can also be heard, hence the name.

The Xia army and the Song army have fought for decades, and they are no strangers to firearms. However, the firearms of that period were nothing more than louder voices and more smoke, and their deterrent effect was greater than the actual effect. But now it's different, when the first "earth-shattering thunder" exploded in Liangzhou City, Xia Jun knew that disaster was coming! This kind of firearm is not only loud, but also incomparably powerful! If you fall next to you, the whole person will be blown up, and there is no reason to live! Even if it landed nearby, when the firearm exploded, the shattered iron shell fragments roared in, hitting the body, and even the armor could pierce it!

The shocked Xia soldiers gradually felt despair. A few days ago, in the field battle, he was still able to fight evenly with the Western Army, but now he is sitting in a strong city, but he is restrained, how is it good? Although the morale of the army was shaken, Yao Pingzhong's subsequent close siege operation was still stubbornly blocked by the Xia army.

After two days of fighting, thousands of casualties among the soldiers and soldiers made the generals a little discouraged. Persuade Yao Pingzhong to say that our troops are superior, and it is impossible for the Xiliang soldiers to get reinforcements, so it is better to surround it, wait for it to be tired, and then break it in one fell swoop.

Yao Pingzhong was furious! Immediately drew his sword and scolded: "Xu Shu sent me to take Xiliang, and the one who is trying to do it is not taken lightly by the Khitan!" Today, the Khitan people have taken the three states of Sha, Gua and Su, and the city of Ganzhou is broken, only in the first place! When he comes, he sees that I have not broken the Xiliang, and he will be despised! How to join forces? Thou shalt say this, deserve to die! "Anyway, I'm going to kill this general.

A group of generals persuaded each other one after another, only to leave the general's life, the little lieutenant sternly warned the generals, our army has superior forces, there are sophisticated equipment, and for another three days, if the city is not broken, they will be subject to military law! In this way, the whole body was shocked, and no one dared to burn out anymore. From the next day, storm the city!

Before the three-day deadline arrived, the Tubo soldiers in the city turned against the water and opened the city gate to welcome the western army to enter. After the party and the army were killed in battle, all surrendered! The little lieutenant was overjoyed, and reported to Xu Wei with great ambition that the elite of Xihe had taken Xiliang lightly, and asked the Privy Council to send someone to review it!

In mid-May, Xingyuan Mansion, Sichuan and Shaanxi Xuanfu Disposal Division.

Xu Wei is in the office hall, reviewing the report on Sichuan's purchase of horses from Zhuyi this year. More than 4,000 good horses for military use are eye-catching, but there is no way, these horses are still sent to Jinghu.

"Report, Privy Councillor, the angel has arrived at Balipo!" An adjutant reported from outside the hall.

"Got it." Xu Wei didn't raise his head. As early as in Xu Liu's letter, he knew that the emperor would send Nei shì to announce the edict in the near future, and he didn't know what it was, but he could guess a thing or two. A few days ago, the prefect of Chengdu reported that Neishì had arrived in Chengdu. Early this morning, I learned that he had entered the boundary of Xingyuan Mansion, and just like that, from the morning to now, I have received several reports. As soon as Nei Shishi entered the city, he had to summon the officials of the Xuanfu Disposal Department to receive the edict.

Raising his pen, after approving the semi-signature on the official document, he called out: "Come, send this down immediately, let him send the horse to Jinghu as soon as possible." ”

Hey, the position of Jinghu Xuanfu envoy has been vacant since He Guan Zhishi, and He Ji has also fallen into blood mold, why hasn't the imperial court sent someone to take over?

After a while, someone came to report that Nei Shaì had entered the city. When Xu Wei heard this, he put down the matter in his hand and instructed the adjutant: "Gather the officials of this department and wait for the edict in the main hall." ”

Soon, the Sichuan-Shaanxi Xuanfu Disposal Division, from Xu Wei and below, all the officials as long as they were not on a business trip all arrived and gathered together. Although everyone didn't say it, they understood in their hearts that Xu Shumi had made great contributions to the Khitan this time, and the Son of Heaven sent him to come at the expense of trekking through mountains and rivers, which must be to reward the Privy Councillor's honor.

Last time, the official family wanted to canonize the privy minister as the king of the county, but the minister refused to accept it. This time......

In that hall, in addition to Xu Wei, there were Xuanfu Judge Wan Qiao, Senator Zhang Jun, Staff Military Ma Kuo, and Senior Staff Officer Zhang Qing in charge of Jiyi, as well as a group of officials who were doing office work, preparing to send envoys, and preparing to send and other officials. It's easy to tell from the expressions on these people's faces that they're in a state of mind.

For example, Ma Zhanqing has two faces. They are Xu Wei's old brothers, the old team, Xu Wei has been rewarded, and they are also honored, so they are proud. Another example is Zhang Jun, with his hands in front of his abdomen, his expression is calm, which shows that he is happy to see Xu Weirong's promotion.

But Wan Qiaowei is different, and it's hard to tell anything from his old face. He only lowered his head slightly, his eyes looked at the ground, and his hands were behind his back, which was in stark contrast to Ma Guangqing. As for the other officials, they all looked as usual, come and come, and be promoted, anyway, Xu's secret credit is there, and it should be.

A moment later, several inner shì stepped into the main hall of the Xuanfu Disposal Division. Xu Wei, as the chief officer, stepped forward and saluted: "Angels have worked hard all the way. ”

"Hehe, Xu Shumi is polite." The head of the inner shì is only in his twenties at most, with a fair face, a beautiful appearance, and a smile when he speaks, and seems to get along very well. "Since everyone is here, let's stop gossiping, shall we?"

Xu Wei nodded.

Then he took the box from his companion, opened it in front of the officials, took out the imperial edict written by the Son of Heaven, and said sharply: "The edict of the Son of Heaven, Xu Wei listens to the decree!" ”

Xu Wei threw off his robe and knelt down, and more than a dozen officials behind him also knelt down. I only heard Nei shì read out loudly: "The system said, I know the affairs of the Privy Council, and the deputy envoy of Sichuan and Shaanxi Xuanfu disposed of it, Xu Wei." The material is not grouped, loyal and courageous, and the prestige is within the Zhuyi, and the sound is between the longs. The so-called tiger minister of the world, who is not Qing? Today, it has contributed to the joint Khitan and Tujinxia. The former, I surrendered the edict and canonized the king, and Wei was humble and unacceptable. However, I thought about it, but I couldn't comfort the hearts of my loyal ministers, and I was uneasy again and again. Today, send an angel to canonize Xu Wei as the king of Tianshui County, and hope that Qing will accumulate the benefits of his minions, and be the hero of a general western division to help the great cause of Zhongxing, and not to live up to my hopes! Chin this! Nine years after the establishment of the military. ”

After reading it, Xu Wei said loudly: "Minister Xu Wei, take the edict!" Long live my emperor, long live, long live! ”

Nei shì put away the edict, handed it to him with both hands, and said with a smile: "King Xu Jun, take the edict." ”

Xu Wei took it with both hands, and then led a group of officials to get up, and said at this time: "When the villain came, the official family repeatedly explained that he knew that Xu Wei was cautious, if he didn't obey the edict again, you could pass on my message, the county king, although it was an honor, it was a spur." I named the king of Xu Weijun to watch the after-effects. ”

"The minister will do his best, and he will not regret his death." Xu Wei is serious.

"In addition to the canonization, the official family gave 100,000 yuan of money, a pair of yù ruyi, a gold belt, a set of imperial military uniforms, and a copy of the official royal pen handwriting, please collect it." Inner shì road.

Xu Wei was not surprised when he heard what kind of gold belt uniforms were in front of him, but there was actually a notebook, which made him a little embarrassed. The emperor is reminding him, practice calligraphy, your pen is really shameless.

After checking on the spot, Nei shì said: "Hehe, okay, the mission has been achieved, and the villain will ...... it" Na Nei shì said here and stopped.

How sensible is Xu Wei? Immediately said: "Please rest in the pavilion." ”

"Okay, then congratulate the king of the county and retire for the time being." Nei shì still had a smile on his face. Xu Wei personally sent out the threshold, and after he left, he looked at the edict in his hand, and there was no look of joy and madness on his face.

He was calm, but not his officials. Ma Kuo and Zhang Qing came over first, and they both saluted and congratulated. Zhang Jun also smiled and stepped forward and said, "Congratulations to the king on winning this honor." ”

As soon as these three took their heads, the rest of the officials all said goodbye, and the whole hall was full of laughter. Seeing this, Wan Qiyu also moved a few steps, and his hands were raised to his navel, and he said lukewarmly: "Congratulations to King Xu Jun, he deserves his name." ”

"Where, Wei won this honor, it really depends on the strength of his colleagues." Xu Wei said with a smile.

At that time, there was a burst of laughter in that hall, and everyone arched Xu Wei to set up a banquet to celebrate. However, Xu Jiu, who was very generous in plain life, smiled and pasted it. The officials had a laugh, and they all went back to everyone.

Xu Wei took the edict of the Son of Heaven to the office hall, unfolded it and looked at it again, and his mouth snorted. To be honest, he looks down on the name of this thing, and he pays more attention to "profit". But helplessly, the emperor insisted on being crowned the king of the county, and the sixth brother greeted him again, saying that the title of the king of the county is not only a favor for you, but also a measure to take care of the face of the court.

It is also said that the emperor wants to let the world see through you, and his strategy is right. You all accuse you of defeat here and defeat there, but look at Xu Wei, he keeps reporting victories there.

From this point of view, the title of the prince of the county, to put it nicely, is to take care of the whole court, and to put it ugly, it is just a fig leaf, nothing remarkable.

But then again, as soon as this edict was issued, Xu Wei became the only county king in office. The county king of Zheyan gave it to him, and although He Guan was also a prince, he gave it to him.

"King Xujun, King Xujun, tsk......" Xu Wei chuckled, put the edict on the table, and picked up the official document to read it again.

Without looking at two sentences, Zhang Qing's figure appeared outside the hall, lightly buckled the door, and said with a smile: "The king has just won the award, why don't you take a second look at the edict of the Son of Heaven?" ”

"Less." Xu Wei said casually.

Zhang Qing came in and said with a smile: "This king, how many people can hope for it, how did it come to King Xujun and become a burden?" ”

Xu Wei raised his head to look at him, Zhang Qing waved his hand and said, "That's it, I know the king's intentions." ”

"The king of the county or something, but it's not very tight, what I care about now is how Yao Pingzhong is playing. Don't make a mistake, let the Khitans laugh at the time. Xu Wei said.

"There should be no problem, our army has already controlled Renduoquan City and Jisang City before, and only one is left in Xiliang Lonely City. And this time, Yao Xiyan has heavy troops and carries sharp weapons, how can he be invincible? Zhang Qing said with relief.

"Well, Yao Pingzhong is a person, and now he has reached the age of knowing the destiny of heaven, but his temper is still like that. I was worried that he was in a hurry, so I ......" As soon as Xu Wei said this, he heard a "good news" outside.

At first, he thought he had heard it wrong, and asked Zhang Qing: "What are you talking about outside?" ”

Zhang Qing didn't have time to answer, and the sound of "good news" outside had already sounded. In the blink of an eye, an official walked into the hall and said happily: "Privy, king, Xihe Shuai Si has reported success!" ”

"Oh? Where are the people? Xu Wei was overjoyed.

The official shouted outward, and after a while, he saw a man blowing in like a gust of wind, about thirty, and at a glance he knew whose seed it was, for he looked like his father, thick and strong, and his big face was carved out of a mold. As soon as he saw him, Xu Wei remembered that he saw Yao Pingzhong's annoying appearance for the first time on the Purple Mountain pontoon bridge.

This guy is Yao Pingzhong's son, Yao Yang. This guy has only seen Xu Wei once, or when Xu Wei inspected Xihe Road, this time he came back to the big city of Xingyuan Mansion, and he saw the highest governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi, so he may be a little moved. The steps were fast, but he couldn't hold the reins, and he rushed all the way to Xu Wei, if Xu Wei hadn't taken a step back, he would have almost crashed into his arms!

Zhang Qing watched happily next to him, and said with a smile: "Are you here for big luck?" ”

Yao Yan became even more nervous, hurriedly took a step back, clasped his fists and saluted: "Humble, humble, humble......"

He humbled three times in a row, as if he was stuttering, and even Xu Wei couldn't help laughing: "You are here to report the victory, how can you be sad and sad when you open your mouth?" ”

Yao Yan swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said quickly: "I am hereby here to report to the Privy Counsellor on the orders of my father!" Not long ago, our army conquered Xiliang City and captured many of the party's Tubo armies! ”

Xu Wei was overjoyed and asked repeatedly, "Oh? Tell me in detail what happened! ”

"Yes! After the father sent troops, he was helped by the Yi Shenglong and the Tubo soldiers, and went straight to Xiliang. On the way, there were only two blockades, both of which broke with one drum and went straight to the west of Liangcheng! The defenders went out of the city to engage in battle, and our army fought with them for half a day before retreating. After the siege of the city, with the advantage of Weiyuan artillery and the power of firearms, it only took six days to break through the city! In the meantime, the Tubo soldiers in the city knew that there was no hope, so they turned against the water and opened the city, and then pacified Xiliang! ”