Chapter 1204: Use the other person's way to repay the other person's kindness
"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 Wei thieves from Hebei from crossing the Taihang Mountains from the east. How can they be transferred here easily?"
After the prime minister died of illness, Feng was ordered to temporarily lead the Guanzhong army.
But Wei Yan, as an old man in the army, was not convinced by Feng at all.
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 and avoid getting bored with each other all day long.
Wei Yan was able to be granted the title of Wugong County Marquis. In addition to his seniority ranking, there was another important reason:
In the Battle of Guanzhong, he indeed made a lot of contributions.
In the martial arts water confrontation, three thousand armor heads were captured.
Then he led the army to capture Shangdang.
Before the emperor moved the capital to Chang'an, he still guarded Shangdang for a period of time.
As the governor of Hedong Dudufu, he stayed in Shangdang much longer than Hedong.
Because compared to being driven to ecstasy by Feng Guiwang, Feng Guiwang’s eyes and ears are everywhere in Hedong.
Wei Yan obviously prefers Shangdang who has not been fucked by Feng Guiwang.
In this dispatch, Chang'an sent a part of the Forbidden Army to take over the defense of Hedong.
The defenders responsible for staying at Shangdang were the soldiers led by Wei Yan.
Therefore, it was impossible for Wei Yan to transfer the Shangdang garrison here 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 that 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:
"Sir, what do you mean by this?"
Wei Yan had a bad character, and he wanted to fall out with him, but Guo Xun didn't care.
He just pointed southward with the fan in his hand:
"The prince led his army under the walls of Gaodu for a long time and could not advance even an inch."
"Now that the troops are being allocated again, it will be more difficult to achieve success in the future."
"If it had been before, 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 monarch stays here, the more useless and embarrassing it becomes."
"If Feng Mingwen makes a contribution in Wuguan in the future..."
Having said this, Guo Xun glanced at Wei Yan meaningfully, "But the prince has worked hard to achieve nothing. I wonder how the prince will deal with himself when the time comes?"
Wei Yan's face turned livid instantly!
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 but failed, while Feng Mingwen was able to build an army on his own.
Guo Xun didn't seem to see Wei Yan's face, so he 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 standing up from clapping his eucalyptus, his face looked angry:
"Stop talking!"
When Guo Xun saw this, he kept silent. He just stood up, cupped his hands, turned around and left.
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 stand in the eyes of the king."
If it had been anyone else, Wei Yan would have cursed loudly.
Since he only led an army to defend one side, Wei Yan knew that he would not be able to fight alone.
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 Wei Yan took a deep breath, softened his tone, and said with a forced smile:
"Sir, you were 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 than me, how can I depose the official 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 now..."
Otherwise, doesn't it mean that Wei Yan really needs to be controlled and mobilized by Feng Mingwen?
At any rate, we have to wait for some more time.
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 prince or prince should withdraw his troops now to show that he has put aside his personal grudges and turned to official business."
"Either we raise our troops and capture Gaodu to show the monarch's ability to lead the army and prevent Feng Mingwen from being ahead of him."
"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 suddenly felt like it was being burned by fire, and his blood surged:
"gentlemen……"
"Your Majesty!" Guo Xun seemed to have made up his mind and did 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 had turned red, and his breathing was 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.
Maybe 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!
If this is the case, then I can only look for opportunities on my own.
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 enemies of Yecheng are not a concern, then don't you have to worry about it?"
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 Zhiguan Pass, Taihangxing Pass and Hanoi transportation.
Under 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.
(Note: There is a map at the end of the article)
Guo Xun saw that Wei Yan was silent, so he continued:
"If it had been the past, Junhou's consideration was indeed right."
"But now it seems that it was a bit too cautious."
Wei Yan was a little confused: "What do you mean by this?"
"The governor of Jizhou was originally Sun Li. This man has served as the governor of various places and has achieved great political achievements."
"He then entered the imperial 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."
"It is a pity that Sun Li was disliked by Cao Shuang and was eventually dismissed from office."
When Guo Xun said this, he looked at Wei Yan and emphasized his tone:
"Cao Shuang is just a playboy. 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. It can be said that he doesn't recognize people."
"Although Huan Fan has a good reputation, he has a rough temperament, does not listen to others' advice, and often has grudges with others."
"In the early years, the envoy Chijie Dudu Qing and Xu Zhujun had a dispute with the Xuzhou governor 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."
"When these people serve as the governor of Jizhou, they are just pigeons and dogs guarding the door. But in Yecheng, where the party is supreme, the mountains and rivers are dangerous, so why should the ruler be afraid of them?"
After hearing Guo Xun's analysis, Wei Yan raised his eyebrows:
"Sir, do you know Huan Fan?"
Wei Yan may indeed be regarded as a powerful general.
He was also considered an important minister in the Han Dynasty.
But after all, he came from a humble background and was a member of Liu Bei. He followed Liu Bei to fight in Sichuan and had many military exploits, so he was promoted to the rank of Yamen General.
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.
But no matter how brave he is, no matter how important he is, interpersonal relationships will always be his biggest weakness.
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, Shu is such a big place, and with the Prime Minister pressing down on it, he naturally 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 became even more amplified.
To put it bluntly, if they are not from the same circle, how can Wei Yan really understand the family?
No matter how many spies and agents are sent out, 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 break into the circle.
But Wei Yan is not someone like Feng, who has so many resources to squander.
This was one of the reasons why he relied heavily on Guo Xun.
At any rate, Guo Xun could barely be considered a descendant of an aristocratic family—although it was 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."
"That's why Cao Shuang was offended. In a rage, he found a crime and demoted Sun Li to a commoner. He then took the opportunity to make his countryman Huan Fan serve as the governor of Jizhou."
"The two counties of Jizhou seem to be fighting over boundaries, but in fact they are involved in disputes between large clans. Therefore, three governors have been unable to 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?"
When Wei Yan heard these words, he couldn't help but feel that it was an eye-opener:
"I didn't expect that there would be such an inside story in the land of Jizhou, the Wei thief."
But think about it, if it is not a powerful and powerful family, who has the ability to make several governors afraid to 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!
Isn’t that right?
Those who don't 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 wealthy families, they still have some relationship with the Pei family."
"Although Duke Pei was the general who controlled the north of the Han Dynasty (that is, Pei Xiu's father Pei Qian), 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.
Naturally, it was impossible for Wei Yan to deal with Pei.
If these things are really what Guo Xun learned from Pei, then they are probably true.
Wei Yan looked thoughtful, and after a long time, he said with some hesitation:
"Having said that, Shangdang is an important place and we have to be careful."
Guo Xun clicked his tongue:
"How can a prince not know how to adapt? The soldiers of the Shangdang are the elite soldiers whom the prince trusts most."
"Without these soldiers, it will be difficult for the prince to capture Gaodu. As for Shangdang, if the prince is worried, he can recruit more county troops."
Wei Yan never wanted to capture Gaodu from the beginning, so now a considerable number of soldiers under Gaodu City are 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, and they were somewhat incompatible with Wei Yan's command style.
Before getting used to it, 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.
Therefore, Guo Xun's suggestion to transfer the Shangdang garrison was not an unwarranted mistake.
"Although the county soldiers cannot compare with the elite soldiers, it is enough to let them defend according to the 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, does Taiyuan still dare to 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."
Using his way, will he also apply it to his body?
Wei Yan, who was still hesitating, 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.
"I Have a Picture Book of Ghosts and Gods"
After hearing Guo Xun's detailed explanation of the pros and cons, how could he not be moved?
Facing a big boss like Wei Yan who had all his emotions written on his face, Guo Xun had already understood this.
But I saw him holding up his hands and asking for orders:
"If you are still worried, you can go to Shangdang in person to see if you can find some connections and ask the local virtuous people of Shangdang to contribute some money and food. You can also recruit more county soldiers to prevent the eastward attack."
Seeing that Guo Xundu had volunteered, Wei Yan was inspired by this and knew he could no longer hesitate. He gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind:
"In this case, we must act according to Mr.'s words."
