Over the years, Yang Zhi and Geng Chao have neither personal friendship, nor are they subordinate to each other, nor can they have public friendship. But Yang Zhi readily agreed and rushed back to Jinling as soon as possible to meet Geng Chao.

The two once fought side by side in blood, experienced life and death together, but their friendship fell into such an embarrassing situation. Time has passed, and in retrospect, it is not only ridiculous, it is simply stupid. The reason is that Geng Chao is like a child who has a good temperament but has been spoiled, relying on some real skills, he can't see that other children are better than him, and he can't tolerate other children not going along with his wishes, and always thinks that as long as it is something he likes, it should be his.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. Even elementary school students in their previous lives, in order to run for class cadres, even if they were to elect a group leader, they knew that they had to shout and canvass for votes. For the sake of vital interests, racking their brains, forming gangs today, turning against each other tomorrow, and being born in troubled times is commonplace. Imperial power, or rather, only the emperor who uses it to his heart's content, is the real winner.

Yang Zhi thought to himself that if he were not a human being in two lives, he might not be as good as Geng Chao in this era. In life, we must learn to calm down in the noise and learn to grow in the grinding.

The heart may have been relieved, but the face does not necessarily say that you can let go. What's more, a customs governor with huge assets, and a young and famous general with heavy troops, Jinling and Yuhang are not far apart, if these two people have a very personal relationship, which emperor will rest assured? It is impossible for Geng Chao not to even understand this taboo, and he will never make an appointment for a visit for no reason.

On the third day of August, Yang Zhi returned to Jinling to talk about things and rest for a day, and Geng Chao came to visit as promised.

Geng Chao has passed the age of standing, and he has grown a beard all over his face. It looks more mature and stronger. The two were old friends. The officials are similar, and Geng Chao is dressed in civilian clothes. Naturally, treat each other with courtesy. Geng Chao saw that Yang Zhi did not arrange the official ceremony this time, and the heart that had been hanging was put down.

"Brother Yang, I haven't seen each other for a long time, don't you come here to be harmed?"

"It's good to have Brother Lao Geng in his arms."

"Geng took the liberty to pay a visit this time, and I hope that Brother Yang will not ......."

Yang Zhi stretched out his hand and interrupted, "What about the holy decree?" Oh, should I say it's a secret purpose? ”

Geng Chao was stunned when he heard this, and then sighed: "Brother Yang." Between you and me, why is this so? Except for official business, is there really no friendship? ”

Yang Zhi smiled: "Brother Geng, if it weren't for the friendship of the past, I would have put on a good posture for you, open the middle door wide, and fire guns to greet you, and I won't even give you the opportunity to call you a brother." Public first and then private, we have something to say. ”

Geng Chao said slightly embarrassed: "I know." I can't hide anything from you. It is true that I was recalled to Beijing to report on my work, and it is true that I came to ask for advice on the emperor's secret order, but the emperor did not have another will for Brother Yang. Geng's trip was a mixed public and private trip. ”

Yang Zhi sneered: "The emperor's secret decree ordered you to come and ask me?" You and I have our own duties. I can't beat the eight poles on weekdays, what's there to ask? Didn't you mean to let you take over as Governor of Customs? The emperor has been on the throne for less than a year, and this is not yet the time when he became a prince and a courtier, right? ”

Both of them are past the age of being a little bit old. Geng Chao is not difficult to hear, although Yang Zhi's words are casual. But there is no lack of relief. Great Xia has been conquering foreign countries for decades, and there are many famous generals. Fierce generals like clouds. Although nearly half of the million-strong army was cut off at the hands of the first emperor, many generals of the unified army, especially outstanding young generals, almost did not touch any of them. Geng's father and son are two generations of generals, and the old Geng is transferred back to Beijing for recuperation, which everyone can understand. From another point of view, Lao Geng is also trying to make way for Xiao Geng's future.

In the same way, if someone else says it, you can put on a "big disrespectful" hat. Geng Chao was familiar with Yang Zhi's temperament, and said, "Brother Yang laughed. Brother Yang is good at dancing with long sleeves, and the post of customs governor is irreplaceable. Back then, Brother Yang's words were still in his ears, Geng was just a martial artist, just seeking to be loyal to the country, and he didn't dare to think about anything else. ”

After many years, it seems that Geng Chao's arrogance and impetuousness have been exhausted. Yang Zhizheng said: "I said that once the son of heaven was a courtier, I didn't mean anything else. Brother Geng, as I expected, the great era of the generals of the Young Zhuang faction with you as the leader is coming. You joined the army as a young man, experienced in actual combat for a long time, and you are both wise and brave, and you did not rely on the grace of your parents to achieve today's achievements. To be honest, when it comes to unifying the army, I'm really inferior to you. ”

Geng Chao sighed: "There is a sky outside the sky! How many pounds and taels I have, how can I not know? Today, I am not only asking for advice, but also by the way to bid farewell to Brother Yang. ”

Yang Zhi nodded and said, "Don't be quiet, look at the overall situation." When showing the enemy to be weak, do not forget to sharpen the knife. The patience of the new emperor is much better than that of the first emperor. ”

Geng Chao smiled bitterly: "I am fortunate to have seen characters like Brother Yang and Wei Feiyang, and I have to believe that there are indeed talented talents in this world." Yes, the emperor's secret decree mentioned that in recent months, there have been no less than 10 incidents of small groups of Turkic cavalry attacking and looting in the south on the Wuhai and Jilantai lines on the periphery of Shuofang. General Zeng sent troops to meet the attack, but he could not prevent it by touching it. He sent people to blame Suoli, but he only deduced that it was the remnants of the Eastern Turks. The Turks do not change their dead nature, which is obviously both a temptation and a provocation! ”

"On the grounds of following the old practice of the emperor to rotate the generals, the emperor ordered me to return to Shuofang Zeng as a deputy, and the old generals of the raid army, Dong Jian and Li Wei, were under my jurisdiction for two divisions of 40,000 fine cavalry. Dare to ask Brother Yang what he thinks? Hopefully, we will give you advice! ”

Yang Zhi waved his hand and said: "I don't have any high opinions, and I don't dare to give advice." Brother Geng fought against the Turks for many years under the account of General Wei, and his reputation was great. Later, he led a raid army to sweep through the desert, and the Turks are still terrified. Fighting against the Turks, you are a well-deserved expert and an authority. ”

"Suoli took advantage of the change of the old and the new in Great Xia to unify the desert, in order to stabilize the throne, establish prestige, and subdue the hearts of the people, the simplest, most effective, and most direct way is to wage war against foreign countries. However, Suoli knew that if he wanted to recreate the glory of maintaining a long-term strategic advantage over Great Xia in the era of Tuodu Khan, it would never be possible to achieve it without three or five years of preparation. Suoli also knew that the Turks did not have the determination or strength to fight to the death against Great Xia now, and he only needed to prove to many tribes that he not only dared to fight, could fight, but could also win, and that would be enough. As for the looting proceeds, they are just additional bonuses. ”

"Soli is a ruthless character and a smart person! It's a pity that our new emperor of Great Xia is no worse than him at all. The emperor's eyes are like torches, and he uses Brother Geng as a general, which shows that he has a plan in his heart. I originally guessed that the emperor should hold his nose for two more years. ”

Geng Chao frowned and asked, "How do you say this?" ”

Yang Zhi said with a smile: "Under the painstaking planning of the first emperor, the new emperor succeeded to the throne smoothly, and after stabilizing the situation, it is time to consolidate the throne and seize the imperial power." The new emperor, like Soli, needs a war of no small scale to prove his ability and power. It's just that the emperor's need for war is not as urgent as Suoli. ”

"The Raid Legion is a blade that the Emperor has tailored for the Turks. Back then, although the whole army was almost wiped out, it had proved to be extremely sharp. Otherwise, how could the first emperor still use you as the main general, expand and rebuild? If it hadn't been for the Turkic split, the first emperor would have been afraid of the kings competing for the throne, and in order to accumulate national strength, I am afraid that the rebuilt raid army would have been pulled into the battlefield long ago! Now this sharp blade has been left to the new emperor, and I dare say that it is also the source of the new emperor's confidence that he is not afraid of war with the Turks. ”

"The Turkic people have no fixed place to live, and the Turkic iron riders come and go like the wind, which is due to the national characteristics created by the living conditions. Therefore, from ancient times to the present, the Chinese dynasty has been on the defensive most of the time in the confrontation with the northern nomads. Since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, the commanders stationed in Shuofang have also been old and serious, good at defending but not good at attacking. This was the case with Weisu back then, and so was Zeng Yingming, the current general who was captured. ”

"Although the emperor is young, he is actually thoughtful and very cautious. deliberately used Zeng Yingming as a shield and Brother Geng as a spear, in order to have both offense and defense. And to put all the 40,000 elite cavalry of Dong Jian and Li Wei's two old subordinates under your control, first, to command as smoothly as possible, and secondly, to strike at Suoli, the determination to attack Suoli, may be beyond our imagination. ”

Geng Chao agreed: "The grand strategy is decided by the emperor, and the overall battle plan is drawn up by General Zeng. My tactics in this regard must still be maneuver against maneuver, and attack against attack. ”

Yang Zhi shook his head and said, "That's right, it's not right." Soldiers are impermanent, and they cannot be generalized. You can't do anything at a loss. It must be known that the biggest advantage of Great Xia over the Turks is national strength and population, and the Turks will never be stupid enough to fight with us. Brother Geng is here to annihilate the living forces of the Turks to the greatest extent, and remember not to be greedy for merit and competitiveness. It is better to let go of the battle under the condition of having an absolute superiority in forces. Immediately after each battle, no lingering. Evenly matched offensive operations should be avoided as much as possible! ”

"Actually, what I said, Brother Geng knows better than me. To put it bluntly, it is to treat others in the way of others. Why be led by the nose by a small force of Turkic cavalry? It's completely okay to ignore it. Another fierce general led a cavalry of 5,000 to 10,000 people to fight in Suoli's lair to make trouble! The excuses are all ready-made, didn't Suoli deduce that the remnants of the Eastern Turks were attacking? Well, the purpose of our troops going deep into the desert is to help you exterminate the remnants of the remnants! ”

Then he muttered: "Brother Geng, interests are the real reason for the war between the two countries, and excuses are never so important. The difference between generals and commanders is that those who care about one domain are generals, and those who care about the overall situation are handsome. Since ancient times, those who have been famous in history for generals have been written endlessly. The broadness of the vision, the size of the pattern, the weighing of pros and cons, the gains and losses of victory and defeat, the law of advance and retreat, and the accuracy of calculation, some people are born with a little penetration, and some people need to pay extremely hard work to understand. ”

Geng Chao said gloomily: "Obviously, I belong to the latter. - Brother Yang, please believe that I have been working hard all these years! ”

"What you and I said today, after returning to Beijing, you can report to the emperor truthfully." Yang Zhi smiled: "This way you won't feel embarrassed, and I can do it." - Someone! Set up a banquet with wine! (To be continued.) )