Chapter 1201 Rumor
After capturing Gaodu City, Wei Yan's tense mood finally relaxed:
“With Gaodu City, going to the Party Land will be worry-free!”
Standing at the highest point, looking towards the south, he was even in a mood to say to the people behind him with a smile:
"The thief's reinforcements arrived at Tianjing Pass, but missed the opportunity at the last moment. I wonder how the thief general will feel at this time?"
Wang Han and others all laughed dryly.
General Zuo Hussar finally told a joke. Wouldn’t it be too disrespectful not to laugh?
Although this joke is a bit not very funny.
After all, in order to capture Gaodu City these days, the casualties suffered by the soldiers were too high.
Everyone's mood is a bit heavy.
Probably because he saw the psychology of the generals, Wei Yan rarely let go of his temper and explained a few more words:
“I did not attack Gaodu City in my previous campaign, except that I wanted the engineering battalion to completely destroy the outside of Gaodu City so that I could attack the city later.”
“In fact, it is also to attract the bandits from Tianjing Pass to rescue as much as possible.”
"What I want is to wait until the bandit army at Tianjing Pass reaches the capital city, and then drive the army to break the city with one drum."
“At that time, there will be few guards at Tianjing Pass, and we will be able to break through and enter with the remaining power of our victory.”
With that said, Wei extended his hand and shook it hard towards the south, as if he wanted to take Tianjing Pass into his hands:
"At that time, the Han soldiers will be able to advance and retreat freely in Taihangxing, but the bandits in Hanoi will have no peace for a day."
Having Gaodu City can only be regarded as closing the gap in the south of Shangdang County.
But if you want to march into Hanoi, you must master Tianjing Pass.
Because Tianjing Pass is the most important and dangerous pass on Taihang Pass.
"such a pity…"
This sound was a pity, a bit of a sigh, but also a bit of resentment.
Although Wei Yan didn't say what it was a pity about.
But the people present basically understood something when they heard this.
Wei Chang opened his mouth, wanting to comfort his master, but when he thought of being kicked so hard the day before yesterday that he almost lost his breath, he closed his mouth again.
Forget it, at this time, don’t get into trouble with the adults anymore.
Wei Chang doesn't speak, and others can't speak either.
Anyway, the city of Gaodu has already been conquered, so even if General Zuo Hussar said some slightly excessive words, it would be harmless.
After all, I heard that General Zuo Hussar was still talking about the Prime Minister behind his back.
And one thing to say, what General Zuo Hussar just said, honestly speaking, can indeed be regarded as a good strategy.
If General Zuo Hussar had really planned for so long, but his troops were transferred at the last moment, resulting in a failure of success and dissatisfaction, it is understandable.
Of course, General Zuo Hussar was at odds with the Central Protector and did not communicate with the Central Protector in advance. This mistake may have been God's will.
Wei Yan saw that everyone was silent and no one refuted.
At the moment, he couldn't help but sneer secretly, and he was even more determined that the reason why his plan was blocked was precisely because of the evil trick.
As for this plan, does it matter whether he prepared it early in the morning or after listening to Guo Xun's persuasion?
Anyway, he only needs everyone present to know that General Zuo Hussar could have achieved a greater victory.
Just as he patted his chest in front of the late emperor and said:
If Cao Cao comes with the whole country, please reject it for your Majesty's sake; if Cao Cao comes with a hundred thousand soldiers, please swallow them up for Your Majesty's sake.
For example, he suggested in front of the prime minister:
Leading a partial division to attack Chang'an will surely make the thieves abandon the city and flee. Then they can go directly to Tongguan to resist the enemy. At that time, the prime minister will come with a large army to take over Chang'an.
Now it's normal to criticize Feng so that he can't take the opportunity to capture Tianjing Pass?
Anyway, let’s get the words out there first.
Of course, just because no one spoke, it doesn’t mean that everyone agrees with Wei Yan’s statement.
For example, Wang Han actually wanted to defend Zhongdu Hu.
After all, the matters before the formation were not discussed in advance. How could the Central Protector guess what General Zuo Hussar was thinking?
It’s just that General Zuo Hussar clearly wanted to use this incident as a sign of separation from Zhongdu Protector.
It is about the battle between two big men in the army. Others are talking lightly. Do you really dare to enter the scene rashly, fearing that you will die on the spot?
However, after retreating, Wang Han couldn't help but said to Wen Shi in private:
"As the saying goes: Everything will be successful if it is forewarned, and it will be ruined if it is not forewarned. Even if something happens before the formation, even if it is forewarned, it will always be unfavorable."
"The former left hussar general did not predict the future events with the Central Protector, but now he uses the aftermath to harshly criticize the Central Protector. This is a bit too much."
Wen Shi is older and has more mature ideas, so he is more open-minded than Wang Han:
“The Central Capital cannot be protected, so it can’t be established, and the Zuo Hussar General is already close to being obedient. If the imperial court does not rely on the Zhongdu Protector in the future, will it have to rely on the Zuo Hussar General?”
“Therefore, even if Zhongduhu is blamed for this incident, it won’t hurt his bones and muscles, so why should he care?”
“Instead of worrying about the matter between General Zuo Hussar and the Central Protector, it’s better to think about what to do when the engineering battalion comes down.”
Wang Han thinks about it too.
“Previously, I thought that reinforcements from the traitors had appeared at Tianjing Pass. If General Zuo Hussar fails to capture Gaodu City, he may have to fight without hesitation.”
“At that time, the engineering camp may not be able to survive alone. I didn’t expect that at this time, it seems that I am worrying too much.”
Wang Han thought for a moment, "But now that Gaodu City has been conquered, the engineering battalion has completed its task, and reinforcements have arrived, I'm afraid we won't be needed on the mountain."
Defending a city is much simpler than attacking it.
At the same time, Gaodu City was built on the mountains.
The rocks and forests all over the mountains and plains are the most convenient tools for defending the city.
To prepare wood and roll stones, there is no need for technical units such as engineering battalions.
Moreover, General Zuo Hussar has enough troops now. If he really does something meritorious, he probably won't get the turn of the engineering battalion.
“It’s better to take advantage of this opportunity and retreat to the rear, so as not to hinder the eyes of General Zuo Hussar.”
Wenshi nodded and said yes.
Hearing that the engineering battalion took the initiative to apply to retreat to the rear, Wei Yan thought that they were sensible, so he was not polite and just waved his hand.
Next, he will also be on guard against the counterattack of reinforcements from the thieves at Tianjing Pass.
At present, the walls of Gaodu City are in ruins, and the only thing we can rely on now is naturally the hills connecting Gaodu City.
The former engineering battalion refused to go down the mountain to try firing stone cannons. Naturally, Wei Yan would not forget it so quickly.
So now he simply doesn’t let the engineering battalion get too close.
Just when Wei Yan was arranging his men to build fortifications on various hills, far in the north of Taiyuan, the governor hurriedly entered the governor's mansion without driving Li Xi.
Even before people arrived at where Deng Zhi was, he was already shouting:
“Envoy, envoy!”
Hearing this, Deng Zhi came out of the room to welcome him and said with a smile:
“Why did Ji He lose his composure?”
Li Xi didn’t answer Deng Zhi’s words. He grabbed Deng Zhi’s arm directly despite being extremely rude and said in a panic:
"Your Majesty, a great disaster is coming!"
When Deng Zhi heard this, the smile on his face immediately disappeared:
“What big disaster?”
Although Li Xi was sent down, in the past few years, he has been fair and upright in his official position.
Rather, he got along quite well with Deng Zhi, who was steadfast and simple, and who forgot about his family when he was in office.
At this time, when Deng Zhi heard what Li Xi said, he naturally did not dare to neglect it.
Li Xun just said two words, then looked around, then grabbed Deng Zhi’s arm and led him inside:
“Go inside and talk.”
Once inside the house, Li Xi couldn’t wait to sit down and said:
"Your Majesty, someone from my clan came to report that something big is going to happen to the party."
Li Xi was a member of the Shangdang Party. He was the son of Li Mo, the great Honglu of the Later Han Dynasty. He was a man of few talents and well-known in the countryside.
Now that he heard him talking about going to the party, Deng Zhi's heart skipped a beat and he asked quickly:
“What’s the big deal?”
“I heard from the tribesmen that in the past few days of Shangdang, some people have been secretly communicating with each other, hoping to raise the flag of rebellion, which is to rebel against the Han and join the bandits.”
Hearing this, Deng Zhi frowned:
"Oh? Is this happening? Who is taking the lead in the rebellion? Does Ji He know?"
Li Xi shook his head: "I don't know. I heard from the tribesmen that the Haoyou family in Shangdang may have been involved."
He looked at Deng Zhi with a serious tone:
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, since the thief dares to contact various families so boldly, he must have been prepared, so he is afraid that something will happen right before his eyes."
Deng Zhi nodded, then stroked his beard:
“What Ji He said is true, but I think there’s no need to worry too much.”
“Although I sometimes dislike Wei Wenchang, I have to admit that he is also a person who knows how to fight..."
Before Deng Zhi finished speaking, Li Xi slapped his thigh:
“Hey! Your Majesty, the great disaster I mentioned was precisely because of Wei Wenchang!”
Deng Zhi was startled: "What happened to Wei Wenchang?"
Li Xi said in a hurried tone:
"Didn't Wei Wenchang lead the troops to attack Gaodu City? I heard from the tribesmen that because Gaodu has been unable to be captured for a long time, all the elite troops in Shangdang territory have been transferred to the south."
“In Huguan eldest son and other places, only Guo Xun joined the army and led the county soldiers to guard them.”
"What!" Deng Zhi's face changed drastically when he heard this, and he blurted out, "Isn't this just a pass..."
Halfway through the words, I suddenly realized something was wrong, and quickly changed my words: "How could Chief Wei Wen do such a stupid thing?"
What Wei Wenchang did at this time is not the story of Guan Yunchang's battle with Xiangfan?
It’s just that this person’s behavior and temper are even more excessive than Guan Yunchang’s on weekdays. Why do he even have to compare with Guan Yunchang in such matters?
If Shangdang only has civil strife, or if there is no civil strife, only Wei thieves attack.
Guo Xun led the county soldiers to guard Huguan, as long as they could hold on for a while.
Wei Yan may lead his army back or send people to come back for reinforcements, so there is no need to worry too much.
I'm just afraid that after the civil strife broke out in Shangdang, the Wei thieves attacked Baixing again. Under internal and external difficulties, Guo Xun led the county soldiers, and he didn't know if he could defend Huguan.
Thinking of this, Deng Zhi shook his head repeatedly: "It's too risky, it's really too risky!"
Li Xi stamped his feet and said:
“Your Majesty, now we are not discussing why Wei Wenchang did this, but we need to inform Wei Wenchang as soon as possible!”
It’s no wonder that Li Xi was so anxious.
After all, his hometown is Shangdang.
If something happens to Shangdang and falls into the hands of Wei thieves again, then the in-laws and clansmen in Shangdang will definitely be implicated.
"Ouch!" Deng Zhi also found it difficult. "Although Shangdang belongs to Bingzhou, it is now under the jurisdiction of the Hedong Governor's Office. It is not good for me to intervene until the matter is unclear."
·No official document has been sent about the rebellion in the Shangdang, and let alone the possibility that the Wei thieves may attack from Baixing, this is just the worst outcome of speculation.
Since nothing has happened yet, what reason do you have to send troops into Shangdang?
"Now it seems that the only way is to follow Ji He's words and send fast horses to Gaodu to inform Wei Yan of the matter and let him watch his rear."
Deng Zhi did not hesitate at all. He hurriedly repaired a letter and sent someone to send it out immediately.
After sending someone to deliver the letter, Deng Zhi was still in the mood to comfort Li Xi:
"Ji He doesn't need to be so anxious. Since we know that someone wants to cause trouble in Shangdang, we should have the eyes and ears to report it to Wei Wenchang."
"Perhaps, Wei Yan already knows about this before our horses arrive."
Hearing this, Li Xi’s mouth twitched.
It would be great if the secret passage was taken seriously.
Just your Majesty, don’t you know Wei Wenchang’s temper?
Even I know about the fact that everyone in the dynasty is at odds with him.
How can we expect him to put down his dignity and make friends with local powerful people in the Shangdang Party?
Dreaming!
Without the help of local heroes, how could Wei Wenchang get the news so quickly like he did?
But now that things have come to a point, Li Xi also knows that it is useless no matter how anxious he is.
He sighed and comforted himself:
"I heard that Guo Xun, who joined the army, is quite talented and has good friends with many aristocratic families. I only hope that he will be as the envoy said, and that he can find out early and make timely preparations."
When Deng Zhi heard this, he immediately asked:
“Since the Jihe tribe could hear the news so quickly, why didn’t they report it directly to Guo Xun?”
Li Xi smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, there is no evidence for this kind of false accusation. How can I report it? Isn't it a false accusation?"
“Besides, that’s the Hedong Governor’s Mansion…”
The governor of the Hedong Dudu Mansion was Wei Yan.
And after the Han Dynasty regained Bingzhou, instead of being accused, he continued to serve as Bingzhou's special commander, but it was because of the recommendation of the Central Protector.
Zhongduhu and Wei Wen are in the same boat. If he really wants his clansmen to do this, wouldn't he be directly on the edge of the knife?
He sighed:
"I am close to you, so even if you only listen to my family's words, you are still willing to believe me. But that may not be the case with the Hedong Governor's Mansion."
Deng Zhi heard some words and said apologetically:
“It’s true that I didn’t think carefully about this matter.”
He thought for a moment and then said:
"As Ji He said, there are people in the Shangdang who are causing trouble. We would rather believe that they are than not."
“As for the rebellion of Shangdang rebels and the Wei rebels both internally and externally, even if it is just our guess, we must make preparations in advance.”
However, Taiyuan has Yanmen in the north and Hedong and Shangdang in the south. There is no need to worry about thieves attacking.
And to the east is the Taihang Mountains, so there are usually some guards at the pass.
In addition, in recent years, most of the Xiongnu people in the county have been moved to Yanmen to serve as a border fortress.
Therefore, the garrison troops in Jinyang City are mostly county soldiers, and their combat strength may not be sufficient.
"Ji He, please go to Pingcheng for me and ask General Wang, the captain of the Xianbei School, to come to Jinyang..."
Before he finished speaking, Deng Zhi shook his head and rejected it:
“Without further delay, let’s ask him to go to Yanmen Fortress. I will also leave immediately and go to Yanmen Fortress. This way, I can save some time by saying less.”
Li Xi quickly handed over his hand:
“I will obey your orders.”
After saying this, he did not dare to neglect, and quickly turned around and left the governor's house.
However, before heading to Pingcheng, he summoned the tribesmen who came to report the news as quickly as possible and ordered:
"You should go back immediately and tell the clan that if anything goes wrong with the Shangdang, your family will immediately flee to Jinyang."
After the tribesmen responded, Li Xi got on his horse and headed north.
(End of this chapter)