In the palace garden, a whole row of apricot trees were floating, withered yellow leaves falling freely. The world was a bleak scene, a cool breeze swept across, and the atmosphere was desolate and desolate. Chengdu in early winter was not too cold, at least not as cold as Meng, Lord of Shu.
Chang's mood is much warmer.
A heater has been set up in the political palace to ward off the cold. Meng Chang, the Lord of Shu, has always been afraid of heat and cold. The atmosphere in the palace was tense and depressing. Several military and political ministers had their heads buried in silence. Including those on weekdays,
Privy Councilor Wang Zhaoyuan is always high-spirited, giving advice, and talking endlessly.
"Why don't you say anything?" Meng Chang sat on the imperial desk and glanced at the ministers with an indignant look: "How to deal with the Han invaders? When the national calamity is approaching, is there no one to share my worries? I can't come up with anything.
A charter for fending off enemies?"
Faced with the emperor's questioning, Wang Zhaoyuan, who had been in charge of military affairs, finally stood up and said with cupped hands: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I have mobilized troops and horses to guard Jianmen. Jiameng, with his dangerous position, can keep the Han army out of the pass."
!”
"Don't worry? How can I not worry when the war has become so destructive?" Meng Chang said with a sullen face: "Before Fengzhou was defeated, didn't you also say that Guan Qiang was blocking the road? What happened? Sixty or seventy thousand soldiers and horses were wiped out by the Han army.
!Although Jiange is dangerous, can you promise me to stop the Han army? Does Xingyuan Mansion just ignore it?"
Seeing Meng Chang's excitement and facing his accusation, Wang Zhaoyuan was both ashamed and angry. He felt that Meng Chang was completely panicked and couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, the defeat of Fengzhou was actually the result of the Han army's cunning and vicious nature, coupled with their combined talents."
Time was fierce and the generals lost their vigilance. At present, Li Tinggui, Zhao Chongtao, Han Baozhen and other generals have retreated to Xingyuan Mansion. The defeated army in front and the Xingyuan defenders, plus the 5,000 forbidden troops from the north, have repaired the city in the west city.
To stop the Han army!
Although the Han army won a great victory at Qinfeng, it also fought hard for several months. The troops were exhausted, horses and people were stranded, and they needed to rest and recuperate. Now that winter has fallen, the Han army will continue to march south. The road is blocked and long, and the supply of food and equipment will only increase.
It’s difficult. And the Han army that went south to attack Xingyuan Prefecture this time does not have many troops. Therefore, when our army shrinks back to Xingyuan Prefecture, the defensive situation is better than that of Fengzhou!"
Wang Zhaoyuan's words were actually meant to reassure Meng Chang, but they were still just words on paper. And what Meng Chang needed was just a reassurance.
"Can you withstand the Han army's attack?" Meng Chang pondered for a long time and asked, staring at Wang Zhaoyuan.
Facing the emperor's eyes, which were clearly full of hope, Wang Zhaoyuan remained silent. Privy Wang, who had always been confident and scheming, could not give Meng Chang a definite answer at this time.
After hesitating for a while, Wang Zhaoyuan seemed to have a thought in his mind of "being ordered to be in danger, to be entrusted with defeating the army." A touch of solemnity and determination appeared on his face, and he gritted his teeth and said to Meng Chang: "The Han army invaded in a large scale, and I will personally lead the troops and horses to the north."
, defend the enemy outside the pass!"
Wang Zhaoyuan was very impressive, but Meng Chang subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Battle of Liangquan, defeats had been reported frequently. The situation in the north was getting worse day by day. City and territory were lost, and the Shu army retreated again and again.
The atmosphere in the Chengdu court was becoming increasingly tense day by day, and it was even more difficult for Meng Chang. All the princes in the court were in panic, but none of them could stand up and take responsibility. Now, finally, there are still
Wang Zhaoyuan......
Sighing, Meng Chang looked around and said solemnly: "My lords, now the Northern Han Dynasty has invaded, the strong troops have invaded the pass, and the national crisis is at the forefront. The survival of the country is in the autumn. My father and son have been in Sichuan for thirty years, and they have been kind to the people and have been invaded by foreign aggression.
, I sincerely hope that everyone in the imperial court can be of one heart and one mind, be united in dealing with the outside world, and overcome difficulties!"
"Yes!" The emperor said so, and all the Shu ministers responded in unison as they walked around naturally.
"Things in the north are very difficult now, but no matter how difficult it is, we should actively deal with it. If we continue to do nothing like this, I'm afraid it won't be long before the Han army comes to Chengdu!" Meng Chang looked serious and was angry.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the most urgent task is to reorganize the troops and stabilize the morale of the army!" Wang Zhaoyuan stood up and said loudly with a look of restored ambition.
"How to stabilize the morale of the army?" Meng Chang asked.
There was a cold look in Wang Zhaoyuan's eyes, and he said: "Your Majesty used the best of the country to pay Li Tinggui. However, he lost consecutive battles and lost his troops and humiliated the country. He should be held accountable and the military law should be corrected to calm people's hearts!"
Hearing what Wang Zhaoyuan said, Meng Chang became more emotional. He couldn't help but wave his hands and said sternly: "In the battle of Donghe Village two years ago, although he was defeated, he still knew how to fight the enemy bravely. My aunt thinks of his loyalty and will not make it worse."
Punishment, but also the opportunity to make meritorious deeds.
This time, we had an army of 50,000 men, and there was no shortage of weapons, food and pay. However, we could not defeat the enemy's army when we advanced, and could not defend the city when we retreated. We were defeated in repeated battles, and attracted the Han army to invade the south.
Send an envoy north to bring Li Tinggui to Beijing to question him!"
"No!" At this time, the prime minister Li Hao spoke up and tried to dissuade Meng Chang: "Your Majesty, now that the Northern Han army has invaded, Li Tinggui is still trying his best to build a defense line to defend against the enemy. How can we take the commander lightly at this time?
Furthermore, Qin Feng’s defeat is not entirely his fault..."
Before Li Hao could finish his words, he was interrupted by Wang Zhaoyuan: "It's ridiculous! Li Tinggui was the commander-in-chief of the army. He fought poorly and lost all the elites in Shu. Why did Prime Minister Li excuse him? Could it be that there was collusion between the inside and outside to recruit him?
benefit?"
Seeing that Wang Zhaoyuan actually put the fire on himself, Li Hao, an old minister, was a little angry and glared at him and said: "Li Tinggui has his own responsibility, but Privy Wang is responsible for the military affairs of the country, dispatching troops and generals, and there are many imperial guards in the north."
Under your orders, Privy Wang was planning the strategy. Didn't he have any responsibility for Qin Feng's defeat?
I heard that our army was attacked by the Privy Council on his own initiative to intercept the Han army's return route. As a result, they were caught in an ambush and were defeated, resulting in a heavy loss of troops and the collapse of the defense line. Isn't the Privy Council at fault in this matter?"
"You!" Seeing Li Hao criticizing him in the palace, Wang Zhaoyuan became angry in a short time: "I am in Chengdu, how can I control the war thousands of miles away? The court made decisions, but Li Tinggui failed to implement them well, which ruined my strategy...
"
"The fault lies with others, is this the responsibility of Privy Wang?" Li Hao couldn't help but sarcastically said.
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"That's enough!" Seeing the two of them arguing on the spot, Meng Chang became impatient: "I'm not here to listen to their quarrel! I agreed to the attack and just issued the order. According to Li Qing's wishes, the blame lies with me.
?”
Facing Meng Chang's cold and testing gaze, Li Hao was slightly startled and hurriedly bowed: "I don't dare!"
But in his heart, he felt even more helpless. To this extent, Meng Chang still relied on Wang Zhaoyuan.
He took a deep breath, tried to calm down, and looked at Wang Zhaoyuan: "What's the Privy Council's plan?"
Wang Zhaoyuan also had some plans and replied: "I think that when winter comes, no matter how powerful the Han army is, it will be difficult to advance against the weather. On the side of Xingyuan Mansion, we only need to have the troops occupy the city gates and defend the mountains and rivers.
, dragged through this winter.
At the same time, new troops are recruited and trained domestically to make up for lost troops and ensure military strength. I plan to gather the best troops from the two prefectures and counties in Sichuan this winter, adjust the defense, and recruit 50,000 new able men!"
"The matter of recruiting new soldiers should be carried out as soon as possible!" Meng Chang immediately expressed his position.
"yes!"
The battle between Qin and Feng was too heavy for Shu's military strength. Adding the previous two battles, Meng Shu's standing army has almost been replaced in recent years. At this time, regardless of the combat strength, the number will be reduced
Bringing it up is the most important thing.
"Your Majesty!" Li Hao spoke again: "Since the beginning of this war, the imperial court has mobilized millions of food and salary, and this year's two taxes have been almost used up. If we continue to go to war, I am afraid that the national treasury will not be able to support it, and the front line will still need money and food support.
Recruiting so many troops and deploying civilian power will inevitably affect people's livelihood..."
"If we don't have an army, how can we resist the Han and guard the border? How can we let the Han army break through the border?" This time, without waiting for Wang Zhaoyuan to speak, Meng Chang himself refuted Li Hao.
The old man was a little embarrassed, hesitated a little, and said with cupped hands: "Your Majesty, the battle between Qin and Feng shows the strength of the Han army. This time, the Northern Han Dynasty has recaptured the four states. Why not follow the advice of King Nanping and send envoys to fight with the Northern Han Dynasty?
Peace talks!"
That's right, after learning about the outcome of the Qin-Feng War, the "loyal" brother of the Han Dynasty, Nanping King Gao Baorong, took the initiative to write a letter and sent it to Chengdu, suggesting that Meng Chang pay tribute to the Northern Han Dynasty to ensure peace.
After listening to Li Hao's words, Meng Chang had a cold face, as if nothing had changed, but in fact his heart had moved. After fighting to the end with the Han army and being defeated one after another, Meng Chang did not have the confidence and ambition at all.
Meng Chang didn't say anything, but Wang Zhaoyuan sneered twice and said: "The war has developed to this point, how can we give up easily? With the Han Emperor's tyranny and greed, how much price will our government have to pay before the Northern Han Dynasty will stop? Even if it's humiliating,
, how long can we survive to seek a truce and peace?"
"Your Majesty, although our dynasty has suffered heavy losses, its foundation is still there, and it can still fight against the Northern Han Dynasty! Only by repelling the Han army can your Majesty truly maintain peace!" Wang Zhaoyuan solemnly said to Meng Chang.