Qian Yuanshan took the newspaper for some reason and watched it. The telegram was sent by Zhang Weixin to Wang Kunjun, and the content was the news about Chai Rong, who had arrived in Youzhou City for several days - this kind of telegram, which had no direct connection with the battle at Yuguan (Shanhaiguan), was sent by Zhang Weixin to Wang Kunjun, and it was reasonable that Qian Yuanshan did not get a copy of it.

According to Zhang Weixin's telegram, after Chai Rong led his army to the city of Youzhou, the first thing he did was to send people into the city to announce that Wang Kunjun would meet him. After receiving a reply that he was not in Youzhou City but in Yuguan (Shanhaiguan), not only did he not show anger and dissatisfaction, but praised Wang Kunjun for doing things safely, not arrogant for small victories, and a person who did big things, and declared that "Wang Aiqing is the pillar of the country, and I must meet with him." Immediately, he led the Zhou army to set up a large camp in the south of Youzhou City, and did not leave.

Chai Rong's move made Zhang Weixin both embarrassed and a little incomprehensible. If it is said that this Chai Rong is to occupy Youzhou City, but he only camped outside the city, but did not lead his troops into the city, and even Zhang Weixin took the initiative to ask him to be stationed in the city, but he refused on the grounds that "the war is not ending, and I can't give up my soldiers and want to be comfortable". said that he did not want to occupy Youzhou City, but after more than 70,000 people, the Zhou army neither went north to continue to attack the eight states behind Shanhou, nor did it go east to recover the counties and towns east of Youzhou City, but set up a company camp that stretched for more than ten miles in the south of Youzhou City, and there was no intention to collect troops and return to the dynasty.

Just when Zhang Weixin was secretly thinking about the purpose of this Chai Tianzi's actions, on the twelfth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar, Chai Rong sent someone to send a holy decree, saying that the Khitan chieftain Yelu Jing led an army of 100,000 to gather in Yuguan, and Wang Aiqing and Qian Aiqing and other "Qingyuan" brothers were the gentry and the people of Youyun and the court of the Great Zhou. In order to highlight the righteous deeds of the "Qingyuan" brothers and reward the soldiers guarding the pass, I specially sent Zhao Kuangyin as the main envoy of the labor army and Liu Guangyi as the deputy envoy of the right wing of the guard and pro-army Si Longjie, and set off on the 13th day of April of the lunar calendar to bring a large amount of wealth and cattle wine to Yuguan to comfort Wang Kunjun and other "Qingyuan" brothers and reward the soldiers under their command. I also hope that the "Qingyuan" brothers will understand their intentions, and they should not shirk their resignations.

Chai Rong put forward this suggestion in the form of a holy decree, sent Zhao Kuangyin, an important minister of the court, as an envoy, and said so many words and phrases praising the "Qingyuan" brothers, it was really difficult for Zhang Weixin to refuse to accept this piece of "kindness" from the other party. Considering that the labor army of the Later Zhou court set off on April 13 of the lunar calendar, it is estimated that it will not be until April 20 when they arrive at Yuguan (Shanhaiguan). At that time, it was said that it was the battle of Yuguan (Shanhaiguan), but I was afraid that the war in the entire sixteen states of Youyun was coming to an end, and the appearance of this reward team in Yuguan (Shanhaiguan) would not have any impact on the battle situation or the next step of the crossing team. Therefore, although he still couldn't understand the deep meaning behind Chai Rong's move for a while, after some weighing, Zhang Weixin still accepted Chai Rong's will on his own.

However, it didn't take long for Zhang Weixin to regret his original decision. Because just more than an hour after the official sent by Chai Rong left, a message sent by Ma Ping'an Ma Gonggong, a hardcore informant of "Dark Feather", through a special channel, showed that Chai Rong sent the labor army this time to be fake, and sent Zhao Kuangyin and Liu Guangyi to Yuguan (Shanhaiguan) to witness with their own eyes how thousands of "Qingyuan" private soldiers fought against the 100,000 Khitan army, to see on the spot how this so-called "private soldier" who used extremely sharp firearms used the weapons in his hands, and to observe at close range the leaders of the "Qingyuan" brothers leading troops to fight. What is the ability to attack, defend, and defend? And the most unexpected thing for Zhang Weixin was that Zhao Kuangyin, who was the main envoy of the labor army, had already taken a small number of relatives on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month a few days ago and went straight to Yuguan (Shanhaiguan), and did not act with the labor army mission that only set off on April 13. According to the distance calculation, I am afraid that he will arrive at the city of Yuguan (Shanhaiguan) within these days or two. In other words, in the matter of rewarding the "Qingyuan" private soldiers, Chai Rong gave Zhang Weixin a trick to cut first and then play, trying not to give the "Qingyuan" brothers time to find a way to deal with it, so that Zhao Kuangyin could see the real "Qingyuan" private soldiers without any cover-up and concealment. - If the target is a person of this era, then Chai Rong's trick is very effective. It's a pity that what he has to deal with is a crossing team that has Jishu who is more than a thousand years ahead of this era, and in the face of the "Qingyuan" brothers who have a radio that can transmit 300,000 kilometers in a second, although his trick "cut first and then play" surprised the other party, but theoretically speaking, it could not achieve the favorable results he envisioned at all. …,

After reading the telegram, Qian Yuanshan returned the copied newspaper to Wang Kunjun, and said angrily: "This Chai Rong is really a scheming guy. Let's fight to the death against the Khitans in front, even if he doesn't support it vigorously, he should honestly stay in Youzhou City and wait for us to achieve the great achievement of recovering Youyun for him, why bother to use this method to find out our details. Moreover, when the starling went to Hou Zhou Daying to see Chai Rong, he had already made it clear to the other party that our brothers' actions this time were completely for the people of Youyun to live a peaceful life, and we only had to deal with the Khitans, and we would never get along with him in the Hou Zhou court. Otherwise, in Baoxingzhuang, we can completely clean up Xiao Siwen's 70,000 army, and directly act against his Hou Zhou army, why make way and give food, so that they can drive smoothly to Youzhou City, isn't that a superfluous move? Besides, even if he wants to deal with us, he should wait until we have cleaned up the Khitans before dealing with it, why rush at this time, isn't he afraid that we will be angry because of this, and return to deal with him with the Khitans? ”

Wang Kunjun shook his head when he heard this, and said: "Our brothers have been too tough in the previous battles, no matter how the eighth brother says and guarantees in front of them, even if he swears by the heavens and the earth, the hearts of Chai Rong and the Wenchen generals under him will not really settle down." Although it is due to Chai Rong's recognition of Lao Ba's original remarks and the strong strength of our army, they will not openly oppose us or openly inquire about the situation of our army, but this kind of thing of secretly spying on military aircraft and understanding strength will not be less. As for whether we will fight back, I don't think Chai Rong and his ministers will be worried. After all, we have just annihilated the 70,000 Khitan army in Baoxingzhuang, and occupied Youzhou City, and we have already become enemies with the Khitans, how can we ally with the Khitans because of a little action by the Later Zhou Dynasty - then we will not become Shi Jingjiao's second, and how can we gain a foothold in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. Besides, even if we are willing to be traitors and cooperate with the Khitans, the Khitans who have just been beaten down will not give up. Brother, I think that for Chai Rong and his subordinates, the real worry is not that we will vote for the Khitans, but that after we solve the Khitans, we will turn around and deal with him in the Later Zhou court. Otherwise, brother, do you think that he Chai Rong Weishenme would rather live in the military camp outside the city than accept Lao Qi's invitation to stay in Youzhou City—that is the best way to declare the imperial court's sovereignty over the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun. ”

"Since they are so wary of us, and they are afraid that the Khitans may turn their heads against them after we finish cleaning up, then why do they continue to go north and stay under Youzhou City? If they are really as you said, Fifth Brother, they are very jealous of us, then wouldn't they be tantamount to falling into the mouth of a tiger by doing so? Qian Yuanshan asked puzzled.

Hearing this, Wang Kunjun explained: "Of course, they understand the risks of garrisoning troops under Youzhou City, but they also know that taking such a risk is likely to bring huge benefits to themselves.

On the one hand, after all, our brothers are still maintaining an ally relationship with the Later Zhou court, and everyone is still working hard for the same thing, and our brothers will not take any hostile actions against the Later Zhou army for a while. As the king of a country, Chai Rong has far more things to consider than those of us 'land snakes'. He not only has to consider the net worth and lives of tens of thousands of soldiers under his command, but also the so-called prestige of the court and the face of the officials. You must know that Chai Rong waved the Northern Expedition this time, and the slogan of his external propaganda was to recover Youyun, which was also the biggest reason and righteous name for his dispatch of troops this time. If the main force of the Youyun Khitan army has been wiped out, there is no Khitan army south of the Great Wall, and the Khitan reinforcements north of the Great Wall are moving south, and the division returns to the dynasty and abandons most of the eight states in front of the mountain that have actually been in hand, then how will the people of Youyun view them, how will the people of Houzhou view them, and how will the soldiers under them view them? After all, the common people and even the soldiers and low-ranking officers in the Later Zhou army were not very aware of what our brothers had done during this time, as well as the real relationship between us and the Later Zhou court. In their opinion, we are allies, masters and slaves with the Later Zhou court. If Chai Rong withdraws at this time, everyone will think that he is afraid of the 100,000 Khitan reinforcements outside the Great Wall, and in order to save his own life, he will abandon our 'ally' and escape from the battle when we are desperate with the Khitans. At that time, whether it is in the hearts of the people of Youyun, or in the hearts of the people of the Later Zhou, or even in the hearts of its soldiers, the status of the court will plummet, and it will become an incompetent court that is greedy for life and afraid of death, does not keep promises, and betrays allies. This situation is something that Chai Rong and his civil generals will never allow. Therefore, they would rather risk being attacked by us than continue to go north. …,

On the other hand, no matter how wary they are of us, after all, the words of the eighth in the Later Zhou camp still let them see our sincerity, and know that we have no plans to go against the Later Zhou court now. Under this judgment, they naturally continued to go north, and even stationed under Youzhou City, in this way to show the phased success of the Northern Expedition and the recovery of the imperial court's sovereignty over the eight states in front of the mountain - even if Chai Rong did not even enter Youzhou City. If my prediction is correct, brother, when we defeat the Khitan reinforcements, the Later Zhou court will definitely send a group of men and horses across the Great Wall to the most remote states and counties of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, in order to declare the complete success of the Northern Expedition and the recovery of the sovereignty of the entire Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun by the Later Zhou Court. In this way, it is not only an explanation to the people of Youyun and the people of the Later Zhou, but also a gesture to the original officials of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, that is, although the main force to defeat the Khitans is our brothers and the soldiers under their command, his Later Zhou court is still the leader of the Northern Expedition, and he Chai Rong is still the master of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, and the sixteen states of Youyun will be under the rule of the Later Zhou court. ”

"They want to be beautiful." Qian Yuanshan snorted coldly and said, "Our brothers worked hard and the soldiers worked hard, and finally drove away the Khitans, and with such a foundation, why should we give it to the Houzhou court and Chai Rong." This Emperor Chai and his military generals would not be so naïve to think that as long as they set up a camp under the city of Youzhou, send a group of men and horses to the most remote states and counties in the sixteen states of Youyun, and then say a few words: 'Under the whole world, it is not the king's land; On the shore of the land, could it be the king's ministers', in this case, we will bow down to the vassals, and we will be at their mercy, right? ”

Wang Kunjun shook his head when he heard this, and said: "Chai Rong and his ministers are naturally not so naïve, their actions of declaring sovereignty and showing their existence are just to maintain the dignity of the court and the face of the official family, rather than really regard themselves as the lord of the sixteen states of Youyun, thinking that they can take what they want from our brothers." Although Lao Ba has repeatedly said in Zhouying before, what we are doing is only to drive away the Khitan people and create a peaceful and peaceful living environment for ourselves and the people of Youyun. But with the intelligence and experience of Chai Rong and the ministers of the DPRK and China, they will never believe that our purpose will be as simple as Lao Ba said. In their opinion, we must have something to do and ask for in the battle of the clouds. And Chai Rong's troops under Youzhou City are not only a way to declare sovereignty, but also waiting for us to make conditions and demands to him, so as to bargain with us, and finally reach a mutually acceptable consensus - this is why he is anxious to see his brother and me. ”

Qian Yuanshan nodded when he heard this, while sighing in his heart that Chai Rong's scheming was profound, he was also proud and proud that the crossing team could have the strength to make the Later Zhou court jealous and compromised. However, this pride and pride was only fleeting, because Qian Yuanshan knew very well that now was not the time to celebrate. There is also an army of 100,000 Khitans outside the Great Wall, and if this Liliang is not destroyed, everything is empty talk. So, after a short period of excitement, he turned his mind back to the current situation, and asked Wang Kunjun with a little hesitation: "Fifth brother, since Zhao Kuangyin is likely to arrive at Shanhaiguan within one or two days, should we push back the time for attacking the Khitan army a little, and then take action after the so-called labor army mission is sent away, so as not to expose the combat methods and strength of our army too much in front of Zhao Kuangyin and that Liu Guangyi?" ”

Wang Kunjun waved his hand when he heard this, and said, "It's not appropriate." Although we still don't know the exact location of the Khitan Army on the Western Front, according to the time, it should be within a few days to launch an attack on Juyong Pass or other passes. The main purpose of this Khitan army under Shanhaiguan is to contain our troops, once the western front is started, and its western front is blocked by the old eighth, old twenty-sixth and other brothers, and it is difficult to make progress, then this Khitan army under Shanhaiguan is likely to retreat immediately if it finds that its plan has not succeeded, so as not to free up our hands to clean him up later. And it is entirely possible that the Khitan 'sleeping king' emperor left the villagers and servants to fill the number, and fled back to Shangjing with tens of thousands of elites himself - if he was really in the Khitan army camp. In that case, we expect the retreat of the Khitan army to turn into an organized retreat. At that time, it will be difficult for the two or three thousand cavalry in our hands to effectively intercept and kill the forty or fifty thousand Khitan cavalry with a first-mover advantage. …,

Moreover, our armed liliang is superior to the combination of jishu that is far beyond this era and tactics that are completely different from this era. Whether it is Zhao Kuangyin or Liu Guangyi, even if they participated in the whole process of our attack on the Khitans, in the face of this kind of jishu and tactics that are completely different from what they know and learn, they can only understand some tactical aspects at most, and it is impossible to understand the principles of jishu, let alone effectively combine the two. Moreover, this kind of close participation will also make them have a clearer and deeper understanding of our strength, so that in the future exchanges and cooperation between the two sides, it will be easier for us to occupy the advantage and take the initiative.

Moreover, the way to find out our reality is not only to participate in person. If we don't give them a chance to watch the battle, they will definitely not stop there, and go to find other, more hidden breakthroughs. Rather than fortify everywhere and be unable to prevent it, it is better to leave them a small window to observe, so that they do not have to go to other places that we may not be able to detect for a while, digging holes and breaking walls. ”

Qian Yuanshan nodded approvingly after hearing this, and then asked, "Then with the meaning of the fifth brother, let's ...... tomorrow"

"Still as it was, launch an attack on the Khitan army camp." Wang Kunjun said categorically.