Chapter 1 Wei Town

The Jiedushi (military governor) of Wei Town was surnamed Jia, named Tianhua. When he first entered office, he was fearless like a newborn calf and once submitted a memorial to impeach the current Prime Minister Han, bluntly stating that Prime Minister Han deliberately slackened the Great Qian's military preparedness, making the country as precarious as a pile of eggs.

Prime Minister Han was most famous for the saying, "Only those who have their names sung at the Donghua Gate are good lads."

Moreover, Prime Minister Han was known for his volatile temper, proclaiming himself upright and unyielding. Therefore, after receiving this impeachment, he simply threw his hands up and stopped attending court.

When a high-ranking official is impeached in this way, they usually plead illness, wait for the Emperor's decision, and then return to court, which is considered proper decorum.

However, as one of the current prime ministers, he naturally faced countless impeachments and accusations every day, so this example no longer applied. But for some reason, Prime Minister Han particularly disliked this Jia Tianhua and chose what seemed to be the most appropriate but was actually the most ruthless move.

Your Majesty,

Do you want me, or do you want him?

There was no choice.

Therefore, Jia Tianhua, who, although not the top scorer in the imperial examination, was still a successful new scholar with a bright future, was directly demoted to Qiong Island by an imperial decree.

Qiong Island was located at the southernmost tip of Great Qian. It was said that the climate there was hot and full of miasma, and few outsiders who went there did not fall ill. Being assigned to be an official there was equivalent to a suspended death sentence.

Whether the people of Qiong Island thought of their home as such a terrifying place was unknown, but officials and literati had long regarded it as a place of "going to die."

Back then, when Yao Zizhan was young, he once wrote "Ode to Apricot Blossoms," which depicted the charming demeanor of a prime minister's concubine lifting the curtain of her sedan chair at the Lantern Festival.

Therefore, it was rumored that the prime minister was furious and wanted to demote Yao Zizhan, who was then an academician in the Hanlin Academy, to Qiong Island.

After hearing the news, Yao Zizhan cried for three days and wrote eighteen "Odes of Farewell" and seventy-eight "Presentations."

The Odes of Farewell recalled his life from birth to studying, to taking the imperial examination, and finally entering officialdom, as a farewell to his past.

The Presentations were gifts to relatives, friends, teachers, and colleagues, saying goodbye to everyone.

The general idea was,

Ah,

I'm going to be an official in Qiong Island,

Ah,

I'm going to die.

After the transfer order came down, Yao Zizhan gave all his concubines to his friends, let his wife take the children back to their hometown, and went to his post alone.

That day, many people outside the capital city came to see Yao Zizhan off, as if he was not going to take office, but to die.

However,

Not long after Yao Zizhan left the capital, before he even reached Qiong Island, news suddenly came that the prime minister had died of illness. The new prime minister took office and naturally wanted to make some changes, so he recalled Yao Zizhan, who had not yet arrived at his post.

Yao Zizhan cried with joy and rushed back to the capital as quickly as possible.

However, Yao didn't go to Qiong Island, but this Jia Tianhua stayed in Qiong Island for more than ten years and even made a name for himself there.

There were pirates in Qiong Island, and he trained the islanders into an armed force, integrating the indigenous soldiers from thirty-six caves and seventy-two villages on the island, and cooperated with the Zu family army to win several great victories.

Three years ago,

The Yan people invaded southward, and the Great Qian's three borders were like a decoration. The Yan people's horses knocked on the Bian River, shaking the capital.

After the Yan people retreated, Prime Minister Han and several other prime ministers stepped down, and the Emperor took this opportunity to begin taking back power.

Jia Tianhua was then transferred back to the capital from Qiong Island, served as Vice Minister of War for a year, and then was transferred to the three borders, becoming the Jiedushi of Wei Town.

In fact, his life trajectory was very similar to Yao's, both being framed by offending the prime minister, and their destination was Qiong Island.

But who told Yao to be a literary saint? With the word "saint," his life was tough.

The prime minister died before he even took office in Qiong Island. On the other hand, Jia Tianhua's Prime Minister Han was recognized as having the best health among the current prime ministers. If it hadn't been for the Yan people's invasion southward, Prime Minister Han could have stood in the court for another ten years, able to compete with the current emperor, who was best at cultivating his health, to see whether I would be your regent or you would grant me the posthumous title of "Wenduan."

But no matter what, Jia Tianhua had returned. A new emperor has new subjects, but the emperor's change has to wait for the emperor's death, so compared to this, a new prime minister has new subjects, which is easier to wait for.

"Oh, staying in Qiong Island for a long time, you get used to the heat. But being transferred from that place to the three borders is truly like being in both ice and fire."

Jia Tianhua joked.

The young general sitting across from him laughed and said, "Lord Jia, this is nothing. You should know that Silver Wave County, to our north, is already considered the most temperate place in the Yan people's territory."

This young general talked and laughed freely in front of Jia Tianhua because he had the qualifications to do so.

In the past fifty years of Great Qian, the Western Army was recognized as the most capable.

And the Zhong family, after the tattooed-face prime minister, presided over the Western Army's affairs for decades, deeply entrenched. He was the new standard-bearer of the Zhong family in this generation.

The Emperor even bestowed an imperial princess to be his wife, making him a current imperial son-in-law, receiving unparalleled grace.

However, when this son-in-law married the princess, he happened to encounter the Yan Kingdom's Earl of Pingye snatching the Chu Kingdom's princess, and his limelight was completely overshadowed.

Sitting opposite the two were two other generals, one with a long beard on his face, exceptionally heroic, surnamed Han, ranked fifth in his family, nicknamed Han Laowu (Han the Fifth);

The other had heroic spirit restrained between his eyebrows, namely Le Huan.

Han Laowu became famous when the Yan people invaded southward three years ago. After his main force was defeated by the Yan people, he still rescued his father-in-law and even escorted him all the way back to the capital. Well, under the capital city, facing the Earl of Pingye's attack, he fled again.

But the world praised his righteousness, envying that his father-in-law had indeed recruited a good son-in-law;

Moreover, he had clashed with the Great Yan's Earl of Pingye several times, and although defeated, he was still able to maintain a certain level of organization. As the Earl of Pingye's reputation grew over the years, his level also rose accordingly.

But the Earl of Pingye didn't remember who he was.

The first time they clashed, Zheng Boye was still under Li Fusheng. Li Fusheng led the central army to defeat the Qian Kingdom's allied forces, with the Zu family army as the central army. When the army pursued the fleeing enemies, Zheng Boye wanted to take Han Laowu's head, but found that he was a tough nut to crack. The always cautious Zheng Boye decisively "reined in his horse at the edge of the cliff."

There was a rumor in Qian that Han Laowu had fought with the Great Yan's Earl of Pingye for three hundred rounds in the midst of the chaotic army. In the end, they met their match, and the Earl of Pingye praised his unparalleled bravery. In the end, the two even felt a little sympathy for each other.

Han Laowu had never denied it;

But what he didn't know was that he had indeed had the honor of meeting the Earl of Pingye's eyes once on the battlefield. If he had known the identity of that person at the time, he might have turned his horse around and tried to snatch victory from the fire!

But,

If he had killed him in advance, he wouldn't have had such a huge reputation later. Killing him himself didn't seem to make much sense.

As for the second clash, it was under the capital city. Han Laowu gathered a defeated army in the name of his father-in-law and confronted the Earl of Pingye under the capital city. Although defeated, he relieved the capital's crisis, which could be described as loyalty and righteousness!

Moreover, with the Baili brothers and sisters, Baili Jian and Baili Xianglan, turning their heads and leaving without drawing their swords, it further highlighted Han Laowu's fearlessness!

However,

In fact, the Earl of Pingye just found a landlord's house in the suburbs of the capital to take a bath that day.

Most importantly, the Baili family could not make any explanations or explanations because of this matter. But in reality, they had a great opportunity to kill the Earl of Pingye that day.

Because at that time, there were not many guards around the Earl of Pingye, and he had not met the Sword Saint of Jin.

But Han Laowu's operation brought a group of rabble, attracting the attention of the Yan army's military camp, which sent a battalion of soldiers, forcing the Baili brothers and sisters to turn back. To a certain extent, Han Laowu helped Zheng Boye out of trouble.

But,

Fate is like this, there is give and take.

Han Laowu relied on the Earl of Pingye to gain prestige, which was to some extent deserved and returned the favor, even if he didn't know it himself.

As for Le Huan, he was actually in an allied army with Han Laowu three years ago. The two had been defeated together, but Han Laowu fled south after the defeat, incidentally saving his father-in-law, while Le Huan led the remnants north, recovering several cities occupied by the Yan people.

Of course, the so-called recovery was actually very exaggerated, because the Yan people drove straight in, and many small counties were actually settled by a proclamation, without even changing the chief officials. When everyone saw the royal army coming, they immediately killed the "traitorous" chief officials and welcomed the royal army again!

Moreover, when the Yan people withdrew their troops, they were still as fast as lightning, and Le Huan did not have any blocking effect. However, this action was enough to earn him great political capital.

The most important thing was that the battle three years ago was so ugly for Great Qian that they had to pick a general from among the dwarves and promote those who had lost the battle but still had bright spots.

Therefore, Le Huan and Han Laowu are now qualified to sit below Zhong Tianlang and Jia Tianhua as commanders.

"His Majesty has sent three secret decrees these days, and the Emperor's will is already clear. The Yan people are attacking Chu, so our Great Qian will launch a northern expedition against the Yan Kingdom, which is a certainty."

While speaking, Jia Tianhua played with an amber ring on the ring finger of his left hand. This ring was bestowed by the Emperor himself to comfort him for his hard work in Qiong Island for more than ten years.

Zhong Tianlang said, "A northern expedition is inevitable. If our Great Qian does not launch a northern expedition at this time and instead sits on the mountain to watch the tigers fight, it would be too short-sighted."

"Hehe." Jia Tianhua shook his head and smiled. He had suffered because of his impulsiveness when he was young, so he had some protective intentions towards this excellent young general. He said, "These words can be said to my face, and can be said in front of Commander Han and Commander Le, but they cannot be written in a memorial.

You should know that there are many ministers in the court who want to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight."

Zhong Tianlang disdained, "They are all people who hold positions without doing any work."

Jia Tianhua sighed, "You can't say that. In fact, in theory, sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight is the right thing to do. The Yan Kingdom is attacking Chu, and the Chu Kingdom will definitely go all out. When two tigers fight, it will inevitably be a protracted war."

Zhong Tianlang then said, "What if the Yan people break through Zhennan Pass and their forces sweep across the Chu Kingdom? How will our Great Qian deal with itself? Throughout history, those who want to watch the fire from the other side will eventually have no good end."

"No, no, no, you can't say that, because only the losers will be labeled as 'watching the fire from the other side'. The winners are usually 'strategizing'.

Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. Although our Great Qian has been strengthening its military in recent years, the gap with the Yan people is still very large.

Three years ago, the Yan people were able to directly reach our capital with 70,000 soldiers, causing the Emperor to be humiliated;

A hundred years ago, our Great Qian's 500,000 elite troops launched a northern expedition, but didn't they end up in such a state that the Yan Kingdom's Yinlang County was renamed because of it?"

Zhong Tianlang directly said, "Lord, let's not talk about the one three years ago. At that time, there was a century of peace, and the Yan people suddenly launched an attack, and our Great Qian's border affairs were neglected, which led to a great disaster;

But what was the reason for the one a hundred years ago? Lord, don't you know?

Back then, if those generals hadn't suddenly launched an attack, how could our Great Qian's 500,000 elite troops have been directly defeated by the Marquis of Zhenbei with 30,000 cavalry?"

Jia Tianhua frowned and scolded:

"Don't mention this again."

Opposite him, Han Laowu and Le Huan did not show the surprise of hearing a secret.

Well,

One of them had a father-in-law who was also a regional official, and the other had a mentor who was once a Confucian general who presided over the Southwest war after the tattooed-face prime minister. Some things that ordinary people could not know, they were able to know.

A hundred years ago, the Taizong Emperor of Great Qian led 500,000 founding elite troops on a northern expedition.

Because he inherited the throne as the Emperor's younger brother, and the Crown Prince of the Taizu Emperor was still alive.

Therefore, when the army entered the Yan territory, the generals of several routes at that time directly launched a remonstrance, asking the Taizong Emperor to return the throne to the Crown Prince and return the country's fortune.

In fact, the Taizong Emperor was eager to launch a northern expedition as soon as he took the throne, also wanting to use the victory of the northern expedition to gain his own prestige, so that he could suppress the military leaders, because his brother rose by relying on troops, and he could win over the court, but he might not be able to win over the hearts of the army.

But everything that is done too quickly is prone to problems, and the remonstrance was something that the Taizong Emperor had never expected.

The army was already facing the predicament created by the Yan people's scorched earth policy, and coupled with the reason for the remonstrance, the troops loyal to the Crown Prince and those loyal to the Taizong Emperor actually confronted each other on the territory of the Yan Kingdom.

Therefore, the rumors in later generations that the founding Marquis of Zhenbei was so skilled in using troops, and used various sorcerers and magicians to make his soldiers shine and launch an offensive, were actually just bits and pieces.

The real reason was that when the founding Marquis of Zhenbei led 30,000 cavalry to attack, the Qian troops, in addition to some guards on the periphery, the various armies inside wanted to fight each other.

Even if it was 500,000 pigs, they were at least the founding pigs that the Taizu Emperor had brought out.

Even if the founding Marquis of Zhenbei really let go of his hands and grabbed, it would be difficult to grab them all in a short time. In fact, because of the founding Marquis of Zhenbei's attack, the internal confrontation was broken, and both sides thought that the other side had made a move.

Then,

The founding Marquis of Zhenbei fought outside, and the various armies of the Qian Kingdom inside happily hacked each other, eventually leading to a great defeat!

Whenever a country is first established, its military virtue is often the most abundant, and the combat effectiveness of the army is also the strongest. The Qian people used this operation that could not be more sensational to directly break their military spine.

At the same time, it also made outstanding contributions to Great Yan.

The reason why Great Yan was able to subdue the desert barbarians in recent centuries, gradually suppress the threat from the west, and then begin to expand eastward, was precisely because of the establishment of the Marquis of Zhenbei.

The founding Marquis of Zhenbei's great achievement was actively delivered by the Qian people.

After the battle a hundred years ago, there was one advantage, that is, the thorns in the army basically died in the Yan Kingdom, and the Taizong Emperor was blessed with good fortune. Although he was shot with an arrow, he still escaped back to the country in a bullock cart.

Although the northern expedition failed, the forces that his brother left in the army were gone.

The following year, the Crown Prince established by the Taizu Emperor, who was also the nephew of the Taizong Emperor, died of illness.

In the third year, one of the Taizu Emperor's concubines, who was enfeoffed as a prince, also died of illness;

In the fourth year, the Taizu Emperor's youngest son fell into the water while boating and contracted a cold, and died of illness.

Next, during the reign of the Taizong Emperor, people from the Taizu Emperor's lineage basically died every year. After the Gaozong Emperor succeeded to the throne, the Taizu Emperor's lineage continued to maintain this tradition of bad news.

It was not until the Renzong Emperor came to power that the Taizu Emperor's lineage got rid of this misfortune, but it was not because the Renzong Emperor was so benevolent, but because the Taizu Emperor's lineage had already withered, and besides, after several generations of imperial succession, the position of the Taizong Emperor's lineage was also stable, and continuing to attack would be too ugly.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a little stagnant at this time,

Han Laowu said;

"Lord Jia, this general believes that our Great Qian should launch a northern expedition at this time. Sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight may eventually lead to being defeated by the Yan people one by one."

Jia Tianhua's eyes fell on Le Huan,

Le Huan also stood up and said:

"Lord, this general also believes that a northern expedition should be launched at this time."

Jia Tianhua reached out and knocked on his head, saying: "His Majesty wants to launch a northern expedition, and you also want to launch a northern expedition. Could it be that those who, like this official, are hesitant, and those in the court who do not advocate a northern expedition, are all traitors who do not want Great Qian to be good?"

"This general dares not!"

"This general dares not!"

All three generals cupped their hands and apologized.

Jia Tianhua stood up and said: "The Yan people are attacking Chu, and according to the information provided by the Silver Armor Guards, they are already in a posture of giving everything. But you must know that the Yan people still have a strong army in Beifeng County.

The last time the Yan people used troops, the barbarians did not move. This time, who can guarantee that the barbarians will move?

If that Marquis of Zhenbei leads the Yan army of Beifeng County south again, how will our army resist?

From the three borders to the north, to the capital of the Yan Kingdom, it is all a flat plain."

"Fighting is not impossible. Our army can advance step by step and steadily," Zhong Tianlang replied, "To put it bluntly, the results on the battlefield are ultimately fought out with swords and spears.

Lord, this general is not targeting you. This general has always admired you very much;

But there are too many empty talkers in the court of our Great Qian.

Now, the opportunity is right in front of us. Our armies from the three borders are launching a northern expedition. If we win, we can even directly attack Huanglong (the enemy's capital). If we lose, their Yan Kingdom will now be unable to attack our Qian territory;

And regardless of victory or defeat, we can support the Chu Kingdom."

As long as we fight, it will be effective, this is Zhong Tianlang's view.

"Then, who will be the commander?" Jia Tianhua asked, "Who will take command?"

Han Laowu immediately said; "It should naturally be Old Lord Zhong who takes command."

Le Huan also said: "Naturally, it must be Old Lord Zhong who takes command."

During the time when Grand Tutor Yang presided over the three borders, he was able to maintain superficial peace;

But in reality, in a military town group that relies on smuggling and drinking the blood of soldiers to survive, how could they truly live in peace?

Wei Town, Liang Town, and Chen Town, collectively known as the three borders, but these three borders actually have strong independence. In the early years, when Yan and Qian were not at war, they even had armed fights with each other because of the uneven distribution of spoils from smuggling checkpoints.

Although Grand Tutor Yang was a eunuch, he was indeed a master at integration, which was also the real reason why the court officials chose to default when he was the governor of the three borders.

Now Yao Zizhan is even more of a good old man and is also very good at maintaining the situation.

But if we want to fight, to send troops, how should we cooperate?

Not to mention the three borders, there are also the Western Army, the Zu family army, and other guest armies transferred from various places in recent years.

Who can command the three armies?

This is not something that can be solved by an imperial decree.

The Qian Kingdom is different from Great Yan. Those two marquises, no matter who commands the troops, the troops below dare not fart.

Therefore, after counting, only Old Lord Zhong is barely qualified.

However,

When the topic turned here,

Zhong Tianlang did not say his father's name like Le Huan and Han Laowu.

Jia Tianhua also looked at this current imperial son-in-law with a smile that was not a smile.

Then,

Le Huan and Han Laowu also looked over.

Zhong Tianlang took a deep breath and said nothing,

Because his father,

His father who has been lying on the sickbed since last year,

He,

Does not support the northern expedition.

……

After the Western Army went north, they never left the three borders.

For the Qian Kingdom's court, if the great defeat a hundred years ago was too far away and the impression was somewhat blurred, then the Yan people's southward invasion three years ago was enough to make this generation remember it deeply.

Therefore,

After the Yan people left,

The Qian Kingdom's court mobilized the power of Jiangnan to begin reorganizing the new army and continuing to enrich the three borders, after all, that was the first line of defense against Yan.

Because in recent years, there has been a consensus in the Qian Kingdom, that is, the Yan people are likely to attack Qian again.

No other reason,

Attacking Qian Kingdom,

Was too easy.

Some people even wondered whether the Yan Kingdom's emperor would regret it. If the main force of the Zhenbei Army and the Jingnan Army had attacked Qian instead of Jin, would the gains have been even greater?

After all, those with strategic vision are the minority.

It was difficult for them to understand that the Yan people's opening up of Jin was not a choice, but an inevitability, because at that time, the allied forces of the He Lian family and the Wen Ren family had nearly broken through the Yan people's Matishan defense line.

If they continued to fight, the Three Jin cavalry would be able to march under the Yan capital in less than half a year and show off their power, allowing the ambitious Yan Emperor to experience the treatment of the Qian Kingdom's officials.

Furthermore,

The Qian Kingdom did lose face in the last war, but precisely because of the existence of the Qian Kingdom's three border towns and the three border armies, the Yan people, even if they crossed the Bian River, could only choose to retreat and failed to occupy an inch of Qian territory, because without breaking the three borders, the Yan people could not truly get involved in Great Qian.

Fortunately, many people understand this, so after the war, the court and the public agreed to continue expanding the three borders, squeeze out the moisture on the three border army rosters, and rectify the officialdom.

The Western Army's garrison was still in Mianzhou City, the city where Zheng Boye had twice gained military merit.

However, the Western Army established a very large military camp centered on Mianzhou City, and in recent years, they have begun a new round of expansion of Mianzhou City.

I have to say,

Great Qian,

Was still rich.

When the Yan people invaded southward three years ago, although they marched extremely fast, they failed to truly search the local areas except for a few states and prefectures, but the war caused great losses to the northern part of the Qian Kingdom. The Yan people also chose to start the war before the spring plowing, directly affecting the entire year's cultivation in the northern part of the Qian Kingdom.

But even so, the Qian people were still able to continue mobilizing troops to the north, continue building cities, and at the same time maintain the normal operation of the entire three border system.

That night in the capital, Xiao Liuzi, after drinking too much, once said to Zheng Boye that it was hateful that Jiangnan was not in the Yan Kingdom. If he, Ji Liuzi, possessed the fertile land of Jiangnan, his father would be able to sweep across the east and unify the Xia, and even if he had a seizure and wanted to attack the desert or even break through the desert and go to the west to take a look, he would have the confidence to satisfy his father.

Regardless of whether he could win, at least he could have this reliance and capital to dare to think about it.

Therefore, this was also the reason why the Yan Emperor never forgot to attack Qian, Qian Kingdom, was too rich.

Perhaps it was precisely because it was too rich that it was not good at fighting.

At this time,

Zhong Wendao, the leader of the Western Army, who was independent in the Western Army and could be called a banner, and whose words had absolute weight in the entire three border system, even Yao Zizhan, the literary saint and governor of the three borders, had to ask for instructions in everything, was lying on his sickbed.

An old woman was serving him medicine.

The old woman was over fifty years old, not a wife, nor a concubine, she was a Southwest native. When the Qian Kingdom put down the Xin'an Rebellion when she was a child, Zhong Wendao rescued her, and since then, she stayed by Zhong Wendao's side to serve him.

She was a servant, but she had a very high status in the Zhong family.

Even Zhong Tianlang had to call her "Mama."

"Master, the Second Master is waiting outside."

Zhong Wendao opened his eyes, his face already had many age spots. This man, who once dominated the Southwest and single-handedly supported the mantle of the Great Qian Western Army, was finally...old.

The old woman looked at the man in front of her,

Her heart, was very lonely.

She still remembered the handsome him appearing in front of her, pulling her up on his horse, and stopping the tragedy of her being ravaged by the red-eyed Qian soldiers.

The natives actually do not have any national concept, nor any ethnic concept. In their eyes, many times, the寨子(village) on the opposite mountain is the same as the Qian people, both are foreigners.

Therefore, she did not have any national hatred or family hatred towards Zhong Wendao.

But time is merciless and urges people to age,

The young general who once wielded his sword and horse, now can't escape the fate of lying ill in bed.

"Let him in."

Zhong Wendao ordered, his voice full of exhaustion.

The old woman nodded, finished feeding the last spoonful of medicine, and slowly retreated.

After a while,

Zhong Wendao's younger brother, Zhong Wenmian, walked in. People at the time called Zhong Wendao Old Lord Zhong, and called him Zhong Wenmian, Young Lord Zhong.

The Zhong family's lintel was actually supported by them.

Three years ago, Old Lord Zhong first led 150,000 Western troops to the north, and then, under the operation of the court, the Xishan Camp cavalry, which was carefully cultivated by the Western Army, was split off, and the person in charge was Zhong Wenmian.

The division of the Western Army also began at that time.

In recent years, while the court has vigorously reorganized the new army, it has also expanded the supply to the old military leaders. Especially after the large-scale reduction of the Beijing Camp, which consumes countless wealth and food every year but is useless in wartime, the court's support for the Western Army is even more abundant.

But one thing is one thing, the division of the Western Army has never been temporarily suspended. Now, including Zhong Wendao and Zhong Wenmian, the remaining Western Army has been divided into three, all of which are divided by three other generals who originally belonged to the Western Army general system but were under the Zhong family.

At the same time, the transformation of local customs in the southwest region is also being implemented, and the court is starting to focus on governing the southwest.

But, in Zhong Wendao's view, these are too urgent.

Although Grand Tutor Han and others were in the court, the Great Qian suppressed the military very severely, but Grand Tutor Han and others actually understood the principle of governing a large country like cooking a small fish, and had a deep understanding of the southwest situation. The solution to the southwest situation is not in this generation, but in the next generation, or even the next generation.

Use time to exchange for the southwest natives' sense of identity and make them think that they are Qian people.

But after Grand Tutor Han fell, the new grand tutors promoted by the emperor touted themselves as new factions and did things very aggressively. This undoubtedly made the Great Qian, an empire that had been established for more than a hundred years but was already暮气沉沉 (lacking in vitality), exude vitality, but it also caused trouble due to its impetuous actions.

For example, from the letters from his hometown in recent years, Zhong Wendao could see that the situation in the southwest had become unstable again.

After all, after the main force of the Western Army went north, the control and deterrence of the southwest had been greatly reduced. At this time, it should be stabilized.

"Brother, is your illness better?"

Zhong Wenmian knelt on the edge of the bed, looking at his brother.

The two brothers had lived together since they were young, and their relationship was very good. Later, they followed the tattooed-face prime minister to pacify the southwest together, brotherhood plus comradeship, inseparable.

But emotion is emotion, the division of the Western Army is another matter.

"Soon."

Zhong Wendao said.

In the world, some old people are more afraid of death as they get older;

And other old people, the older they get, the more indifferent they become to the matter of life and death.

Zhong Wenmian did not expect that his always stalwart brother would be so depressed, so he could not help but say:

"Brother, you will be fine, you will get better."

Zhong Wendao smiled with some difficulty.

In fact, in the past two years, that is, half a year after the Yan people had just withdrawn their troops, Zhong Wendao had written to the court on the grounds that he was old and his body was not feeling well, hoping that he could return to his old home in the southwest to recuperate.

He was old and really did not get used to the climate of the three borders.

But at that time, how dare the court let him, the needle of the sea, leave the three borders? He was directly rejected, and he was also promoted to a higher rank.

After that, every half year, Zhong Wendao would write to the court, asking to retire and return to his hometown.

But on the one hand, the court was dismembering the Western Army and was unwilling to let him go back to deter the situation. On the other hand, some people thought that Zhong Wendao's move was to reassure the court, showing that he was not greedy for power.

Therefore, every time he requested, the court refused, and continued to promote him and grant him titles, and even let Zhong Tianlang marry an imperial princess.

But only those who are really close to him know that Zhong Wendao is really asking to return to his hometown because of his physical condition.

But the court firmly pressed him in the three borders.

Three years,

Three years,

Three years,

The impact of acclimatization was particularly fatal for this old general and had already exhausted his vitality.

He probably did not have the opportunity to die on the battlefield,

Instead, he probably would be pressed in the three borders by the court in this way to slowly drain the last bit of his vitality.

"Brother."

Zhong Wendao guessed what his brother had come to see him for,

So he said:

"Attack Yan?"

"Brother, the Yan people are using the strength of the whole country to attack Chu. It is a good opportunity for our Great Qian to launch a northern expedition. If the Chu Kingdom is broken, our Great Qian will..."

Since the Three晉(Jin) were destroyed, the Qian and Chu have become allies to jointly resist the Yan people.

Zhong Wendao slowly shook his head and said:

"No."

"Brother, why?"

"The Yan people are powerful, but they will not last long. The Chu people are not weak, it is difficult to destroy Chu. Our Great Qian should continue to strengthen our military and strengthen our military.

Younger brother, brother, brother I know what you want, what you want.

But brother, I, can't go on an expedition."

"Brother, but this northern expedition must..."

Zhong Wendao laughed again,

Said:

"Brother I am not in good health, if I force a northern expedition, younger brother, younger brother ah, are you thinking, that you will be the one to support this situation for brother?"

If the Great Qian launches a northern expedition,

Zhong Wendao must be the commander, with the Western Army as the central army, and the three border armies and the guest armies from various places as the left and right armies to obey his command.

And once Zhong Wendao's body can't support it, then the position of the commander of the northern expedition will naturally fall to Zhong Wenmian.

Zhong Tianlang is indeed a rising star, but he is young after all and cannot convince the public.

"Brother, the emperor also intends to launch a northern expedition, and the generals also hope to launch a northern expedition. Brother, don't worry, even if the Yan people transfer the troops from Beifeng County over, our army will deal with it calmly, advance step by step, and we can also defeat the Yan people!

I don't believe, I don't believe that the Yan people can support two fronts at the same time!"

"You……"

"Brother."

"You don't have this ability."

"..." Zhong Wenmian.

"Our Great Qian, if we don't move, we won't be defeated, if we move, we may...we may be defeated, the morale of the army has not been adjusted, the logistics have not been followed up, and the dispatch has not been straightened out.

Even if I command, it's just to maintain the surface, outwardly obedient but inwardly disobedient.

Wait,

You can wait,

You can really continue to wait."

"Wait until when?" Zhong Wenmian's tone became heavier.

He simply could not understand, or even felt that