Chapter 1195: Repay the other person with his own way
"Have you forgotten that there is still an elite army in Shangdang that you personally led?"
When Wei Yan heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows and shook his head subconsciously:
"No, the garrison I left behind in Shangdang is to prevent the Wei thieves from Hebei from crossing the Taihang Mountains from the east. How can we easily transfer them here?"
After the prime minister died of illness, Feng was ordered to temporarily lead the Guanzhong army.
But as an old man in the army, Wei Yan was dissatisfied with his face and even more dissatisfied with his heart.
For the sake of the overall situation, Feng had no choice but to let Wei Yan lead the army to capture Shangdang, so that both sides could simply stay out of sight, so as not to get tired of looking at each other all day long.
Wei Yan was awarded the title of Wugong County Marquis. In addition to his seniority ranking, there is another important reason:
In the Battle of Guanzhong, he indeed made a lot of contributions.
In the confrontation between Wugong and Shui, three thousand armored heads were captured.
Then he led the army to capture Shangdang.
Before the emperor moved the capital to Chang'an, he also guarded Shangdang for a period of time.
As the governor of Hedong Dudufu, he stayed in Shangdang much longer than Hedong.
Because compared to Hedong who was made to die by Feng Guiwang and was even infiltrated into a sieve.
Wei Yan obviously prefers Shangdang who has not been **** by King Feng Gui.
This time, Chang'an sent a part of the Forbidden Army to take over the defense of Hedong.
The garrison responsible for staying at Shangdang were the soldiers led by Wei Yan.
Therefore, it was impossible for Wei Yan to transfer the Shangdang garrison over unless he had no choice but to do so.
As if he had expected Wei Yan to say this, Guo Xun chuckled lightly, with a hint of sarcasm in his laughter:
"In this case, why don't you retreat as soon as possible? If you stay here, isn't it just making people laugh?"
Hearing what Guo Xun said, Wei Yan's face darkened and he was extremely unhappy:
“What do you mean by this, sir?”
Wei Yan has a bad character, and he wanted to fall out with him at this time, but Guo Xun actually didn't care.
He just pointed southward with the fan in his hand:
“The prince and his army were stationed at the gate of Gaodu for a long time, unable to advance even an inch.”
“Now that the troops have been divided again, it will be more difficult to achieve success in the future.”
“If it had been the past, it wouldn’t have mattered. After all, His Majesty has said that this battle will be decided by the prince.”
“But things are completely different now. How is Feng Mingwen’s current actions any different from provocation?”
“Therefore, the longer the king stays here, the more useless he will be and the more embarrassed he will be.”
“If Feng Mingwen makes meritorious service in Wuguan in the future…”
Speaking of this, Guo Xun glanced at Wei Yan meaningfully, "If you still work hard to no avail, I wonder where you will end up?"
Wei Yan’s face instantly turned livid!
Because Guo Xun's words reminded him of the humiliation of the past when the prime minister was there, when he wanted to lead an army by himself but could not, while Feng Mingwen was able to build an army on his own.
Guo Xun seemed not to see Wei Yan’s face and continued:
"That's why I suggest that instead of humiliating yourself in the future, it is better to retreat now and save some face."
But when he saw Wei Yan getting up with a slap on the case, he had an angry look on his face:
“Stop talking!”
Seeing this, Guo Xun immediately shut up, stood up, cupped his hands, and turned to leave.
Wei Yan saw Guo Xun’s move and quickly took two steps forward to stop him:
“Sir, sir, what does this mean?”
Guo Xun sneered:
“I just don’t want to get in the eyes of the king.”
If it had been anyone else, Wei Yan would have cursed him loudly.
Since he only led an army to guard one side, Wei Yan knew very well that if he fought alone without any support, he might not be able to secure the position of governor of Hedong.
In addition, Guo Xun has benefited a lot from him. If he really wants to force him away, when will he find someone who can really help him again?
But when Wei Yan took a deep breath, he softened his tone and forced a smile:
"Sir, you are joking. What you just said makes sense. It was not a faux pas. It was just that I couldn't control myself."
His voice became a little deeper:
“I have a rift with Feng Mingwen, and I also know that my husband has grudges against Feng Mingwen, but Fei Wenwei is right, these are personal grudges after all.”
“Your Majesty has more trust in me, so how can I abolish public service for personal reasons? Therefore, it is better not to mention this matter again. As for the withdrawal of troops..."
Wei Yan was silent for a while, and then continued:
“It’s definitely not possible to retreat immediately right now…”
Otherwise, wouldn’t it mean that Wei Yan really wanted to be controlled and mobilized by Feng Mingwen?
At any rate, we have to wait a little longer.
Guo Xun opened his mouth, hesitated to speak, and finally just shook his head.
Seeing Guo Xun’s appearance, Wei Yan couldn’t help but ask:
“Sir, do you think it’s inappropriate?”
“Of course it’s not appropriate,” Guo Xun said. “As I said just now, the princes can either withdraw their troops now to show that they have put aside their personal grudges and focused on official business.”
"Either raise troops to capture Gaodu to show the monarch's ability to lead the army and prevent Feng Mingwen from being ahead of others."
“Now that the prince has made up his mind to retreat, but he wants to delay the retreat, he is just trying to save some face.”
When Wei Yan heard the last sentence, his face felt as if it was being burned by fire, and his blood surged:
"gentlemen…"
“Your Majesty!” Guo Xun seemed to have made up his mind and would not let Wei Yan refute his words at all:
“The prince’s desire to compete with Feng Mingwen is as bright as the bright moon in the dark night sky.”
"Now the king wants to hide his true feelings, just like covering the bright moon in the sky with one hand to prevent others from seeing it. Isn't this just making people laugh?"
Guo Xun's words were like tearing off the last layer of fig leaf from Wei Yan, and like a heavy blow, they hit the deepest part of Wei Yan's heart.
Wei Yan's face has turned red, and his breathing is as heavy as a cow's breath.
There is no doubt that Guo Xun’s words hit his mark.
When Zhao Yun retired from the army due to health reasons and went to Nanxiang to recuperate and no longer led troops, Wei Yan thought that he was the first person in the army below the prime minister.
But the cruel facts gave Wei Yan a slap in the face.
It was so cruel that Wei Yan, who had always been proud, even felt a little humiliated.
Perhaps Feng Mingwen is indeed very powerful, but... Prime Minister, why can't you give me a chance to prove myself like the late emperor did!
In this case, don’t blame me for looking for opportunities for myself.
Seeing the changing expression on Wei Yan's face, Guo Xun struck while the iron was hot:
"The prince also said just now that the reason why he did not dare to mobilize the party's officers and soldiers was just to guard against the enemy in the east of Taihang Mountain."
"But if the enemy in Yecheng is not a concern, then does the prince not have to worry?"
Wei Yan hesitated slightly.
In fact, in addition to Yecheng, Wei thieves in Hanoi can also enter Shangdang through Baixing, one of the eight passes in Taihang - this road is exactly the route that Cao Cao took back then.
But now the Han imperial army is stationed in Hedong, and he is leading the army to attack Gaodu from Shangdang.
Hedong and Shangdang each have transportation links with Zhiguan, Taihangxing and Hanoi.
Under the double pressure, Wei Yan believed that the Wei thieves in Hanoi would not dare to act rashly.
Besides, if you want to enter Shangdang from Baixing, northwest of Taihangxing, you have to pass through Huguan.
Hu Pass is so dangerous that only one or two thousand troops are enough to hold tens of thousands of enemy troops at bay.
Guo Xun saw that Wei Yan was silent, so he continued:
"If it had been before, the prince's consideration would have been correct."
"But now it seems that I am a little too cautious."
“The governor of Jizhou was originally Sun Li. He served as the governor of various places and had outstanding political achievements.”
“He then entered the court and served as minister, and later served as general, commander, and governor of Jizhou. He is a strong and courageous person who should not be underestimated.”
“Unfortunately, Sun Li was disliked by Cao Shuang, and he was eventually dismissed from office.”
When Guo Xun said this, he looked at Wei Yan and emphasized his tone:
"Cao Shuang is just a dandy. He behaves according to his likes and dislikes and loses the hearts of the people. After he dismissed Sun Li, he actually appointed Huan Fan as the governor. He can be said to be ignorant of people."
“Although Huan Fan was famous, he had a rough temperament, did not listen to others’ advice, and often had grudges with others.”
“In the early years, the envoys Chijie Governor Qing and Xu Zhujun had a dispute with the governor of Xuzhou and wanted to kill him, so he was dismissed from office.”
“Later, I was fortunate enough to have a bad reputation, and was recommended as the governor of Yanzhou. However, I didn’t know how to restrain myself. I was at odds with my colleagues and felt depressed.”
"Such people, who serve as the governor of Jizhou, are nothing more than dolphins and dogs guarding the door. However, Yecheng is the supreme party. The mountains and rivers are dangerous, so why should the princes be afraid of them?"
Hearing Guo Xun’s analysis, Wei Yan raised his eyebrows:
“Sir, do you know Huan Fan?”
Wei Yan may indeed be regarded as a fierce general.
He was also considered an important minister in the Han Dynasty.
But after all, he was from a humble background and was a member of Liu Bei's tribe. He followed Liu Bei to fight in Sichuan and had many military exploits before he was promoted to the rank of General Yamen.
He was able to guard Hanzhong because of Liu Bei's exceptional promotion - of course, facts proved that Liu Bei's vision was indeed unique.
It’s just that no matter how brave he is, no matter how reused he is, interpersonal relationships are always his biggest shortcoming.
Wei Yan’s pride may not be a form of self-protection at times:
You don’t want to be with me, and I don’t want to be with you.
This attitude may not have mattered when the Han Dynasty failed to break out of Shu.
After all, the land of Shu is only that big, and the Prime Minister is pressing on it, so naturally he doesn’t need to worry about some things.
But when he arrived in the Central Plains, where aristocratic families were everywhere, Wei Yan's lack of understanding of the intricate relationships between aristocratic families was infinitely magnified.
To put it bluntly, if they are not in the same circle, how can Wei Yan truly understand the family?
No matter how many spies and agents are dispatched, they can only get rumors from the market that are not true or false.
If you want to get really useful information, you have to find a way to get into the circle.
But Wei Yan is not Feng, so how can he have so many resources to support him?
This is one of the reasons why he relied heavily on Guo Xun.
At any rate, Guo Xun can be regarded as a member of a noble family—although it is only a side branch.
More importantly, he has connections with the aristocratic families in Hedong and can get a lot of information.
At this time, when he heard Guo Xun talking about Huan Fan, he naturally wanted to ask more questions.
But when Guo Xun smiled calmly, he looked like he had everything under control:
“Your Majesty trusts me and respects me, how dare I not try my best to consider it for you?”
"Do you know, sir, why Sun Li was dismissed from office by Cao Shuang?"
Wei Yan shook his head: "I don't know."
Guo Xun explained unhurriedly:
"It's because of the dispute between the Qinghe Plain and the Qinghe Plain in Jizhou. Cao Shuang favored Qinghe, but Sun Li assigned the boundary to the Plain."
"So he offended Cao Shuang, and in a rage he found a crime and demoted Sun Li to a commoner, and then took the opportunity to let his countryman Huan Fan serve as the governor of Jizhou."
“The two counties of Jizhou seemed to be fighting over boundaries, but in fact they involved a dispute between large clans. Therefore, three governors could not resolve it.”
"When it was Huan Fan's turn, he was already the fourth. Huan Fan is already rude and rude. How can he solve this matter? I'm afraid things will become more and more complicated."
“But if we don’t resolve the dispute between the two places, how can we pacify the place? If we can’t pacify the place, how can we get the support of the big clans?”
“Without the support of the powerful clans, would Huan Fan’an have enough energy to peek west of Taihang?”
Hearing these words, Wei Yan couldn't help but feel that it was an eye-opener:
"I didn't expect that the land of Jizhou, the Wei thief, would have such inside stories."
But think about it, if it is not a powerful and powerful family, who has the ability to make several governors dare not draw conclusions?
Thinking about the big man again, Wei Yan couldn't help but sigh:
“Although I am at odds with Feng Mingwen, I have to say that this son’s methods are amazing, and he can actually make those wealthy people obey him..."
It's okay that he didn't say this. As soon as he said this, Guo Xun, who was originally calm and calm, suddenly turned dark!
Is that possible?
Those who do not obey will either have their family destroyed or their family ruined, or at the worst, their family fortune will be ruined.
Who dares to disobey?
Wei Yan didn’t notice Guo Xun’s expression. After sighing, he asked again:
“May I ask, sir, are these things serious? How did you find out about them?”
Guo Xun adjusted his mood and explained:
"The prince knows that Xun is an in-law who came from Liangzhou to seek refuge in Hedong."
“Although my in-laws are not as good as those big families, they still have some relationship with the Pei family.”
“Although Pei Gong was the general of the Han Dynasty who controlled the north (that is, Pei Qian, the father of Pei Xiu), he had a young brother, Pei Hui, who was still in Wei.”
“This information was obtained from the Pei family.”
Because of the relationship between Pei Qian and Pei Xiu, the Pei clan is now Feng’s dog in Hedong.
It is naturally impossible for Wei Yan to deal with Pei.
If these things are really what Guo Xun learned from Pei, then they cannot be half-truths.
Wei Yan looked thoughtful, and after a long time, he said hesitantly:
“Having said that, Shangdang is an important place and we have to be careful.”
Guo Xun said "tsk":
“Why don’t the princes know how to adapt? The soldiers of the Shangdang are the most trusted elite soldiers by the princes.”
"Without these soldiers, it will be difficult for the prince to capture Gaodu. As for the Shangdang side, if the prince is worried, he can recruit more county troops."
Wei Yan never thought of capturing Gaodu from the beginning, so now, a considerable number of soldiers under the city of Gaodu are soldiers from the original Liangzhou Army.
As for the part led by Jiang Wei, it has a deep connection with the Liangzhou Army.
It's not that these soldiers didn't obey the general's orders, but that Feng's imprint on them was too deep, which was somewhat incompatible with Wei Yan's command style.
Before going through war, Wei Yan would naturally not be able to command with ease.
Most of the soldiers who allowed Wei Yan to command with confidence stayed behind at Shangdang.
So Guo Xun’s suggestion to transfer Shangdang’s garrison over was not without purpose.
"Although county soldiers cannot compare with elite soldiers, it is enough to let them defend according to danger."
"Besides, to the north of Shangdang, there is Taiyuan, an important county in Bingzhou. Even if Huan Fan dares to lead his troops to invade, how dare Taiyuan stand idly by?"
Speaking of this, Guo Xun lowered his voice:
“Deng Bomiao (Deng Zhi), the governor of Bingzhou, had a good relationship with Feng Mingwen, and Feng Mingwen also supported Bingzhou a lot.”
“There have long been rumors that Feng Mingwen had promised to invest millions in Bingzhou, which shows the deep friendship between the two!”
"Feng Mingwen forced the prince to help defend Tongguan, so the prince forced Deng Bomiao to help defend the Shangdang. It happened that he used his own methods to repay the other party."
Use his way and use it on his own body?
Wei Yan, who was still hesitating at first, immediately became energetic when he heard Guo Xun's words!
He is an impulsive and adventurous person, otherwise he would not always think about leading an army alone to meet the Prime Minister at Tongguan.
After hearing Guo Xun explain the pros and cons in detail, how could he not be moved?
Facing a big boss like Wei Yan who has all his emotions written on his face, Guo Xun has already understood this.
Seeing him raise his hands and ask for orders:
"If you are still worried, you can go to Shangdang in person to see if you can find some connections and persuade the local sages in Shangdang to provide more money and food, or recruit more county soldiers to protect against the east."
Seeing that Guo Xundu had volunteered for military service, Wei Yan was so provoked that he knew he could no longer retreat. He gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind:
“In this case, we must act according to Mr.’s words.”
(End of this chapter)