After capturing Gaodu City, Wei Yan's tense mood finally relaxed:
"With Gaodu City, going to the Party's land is 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 would feel at this time?"
Wang Han and others all laughed dryly.
General Zuo Hussar finally told a joke. Wouldn't it be disrespectful to not laugh?
Although this joke is a bit not funny.
After all, in order to capture Gaodu City these days, the casualties of the soldiers were too high.
Everyone's mood was a little 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 laid siege to Gaodu City but did not attack it. I only 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 come to the rescue as much as possible."
"What I want is to wait until the bandit army at Tianjing Pass reaches the capital city, then drive the army to break the city with one drum."
"At that time, there will be few guards at Tianjing Pass. With the remaining power of our victory, we can break through the pass and enter."
As he said that, Wei extended his hand and shook his hand 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 not be able to live in peace for a day."
Obtaining 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 it was a pity, Wei Yan did not say it clearly.
But when people present heard this, they basically understood in their hearts.
Wei Chang opened his mouth, wanting to comfort his master, but when he thought of being kicked to the point of almost losing his breath the day before, he closed his mouth again.
Forget it, at this time, don't get into trouble with adults anymore.
If Wei Chang doesn't speak, others won't speak either.
Anyway, Gaodu City has 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 to put it another way, 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 that 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 only 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 said before the late emperor, patting his chest:
If Cao Cao comes with the whole country, please, your Majesty, reject them. If Cao Cao comes with a hundred thousand soldiers, please, Your Majesty, swallow them up.
For example, he suggested in front of the Prime Minister:
Leading a partial army 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.
Isn't it normal to criticize Feng now so that he can't seize the opportunity to capture Tianjing Pass?
Anyway, let’s get the words out there first.
Of course, just because no one spoke, it didn't mean that everyone agreed with Wei Yan's statement.
For example, Wang Han actually wanted to defend Zhongdu Hu.
After all, without communicating in advance about the matters before the formation, how could the Central Protector guess what General Zuo Hussar was thinking?
But after he thought about it, General Zuo Hussar obviously wanted to use this incident to signal a breakup with Zhongdu Protector.
It's about the battle between two elders in the army. Others are talking lightly, but if you really dare to enter the scene rashly, are you afraid that you will die on the spot?
However, after retreating, Wang Han still 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 ruined."
"The former left hussar general did not preview the future events with the Central Protector, but now he uses the funeral 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 protect the country, 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, should it rely on the Zuo Hussar General?"
"So even if the Central Protector is blamed for this incident, it won't hurt his bones or muscles, so why should he care?"
"Instead of worrying about the matter between General Zuo Hussar and the Central Protector, it is better to think carefully 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 to the death."
"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 fallen, the engineering battalion has completed its mission, and reinforcements have arrived, I'm afraid we won't be needed on the mountain."
Defending a city is far easier than attacking it.
At the same time, Gaodu City was built on the mountain.
The rocks and forests all over the mountains are the most convenient tools for defending the city.
To prepare wood and rolling stones, there is no need for a technical unit such as an engineering battalion.
Moreover, General Zuo Hussar has enough troops now. If he really does something meritorious, he probably won't get the engineering battalion's turn.
"It's better to take this opportunity and retreat to the rear, so as not to hinder the eyes of General Zuo Hussar."
Wenshi nodded and said yes.
When he learned 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 had to be on guard against the counterattack of reinforcements from the bandits 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.
Naturally, Wei Yan would not forget the fact that the engineering battalion in front refused to go down the mountain to try firing stone cannons.
So now he simply doesn't let the engineering battalion get too close.
Just when Wei Yan was arranging his men to build well-organized defenses on various hilltops, in Taiyuan, far in the north, the governor hurriedly entered the governor's mansion behind Li Xi's footsteps.
Before anyone arrived 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 is Ji He so out of his mind?"
Li Xi didn't answer Deng Zhi's words. He grabbed Deng Zhi's arm and said in a panic, despite being extremely rude.
"Your Majesty, a great disaster is coming!"
When Deng Zhi heard this, the smile on his face immediately disappeared:
"What disaster?"
Although Li Xi was demoted, he has been fair and upright in his official position in the past few years.
On the contrary, 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.
"Shangdang..."
Li Xi just said two words, then looked around, then grabbed Deng Zhi's arm and led him inside:
"Come inside and talk."
After arriving at 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 our party."
Li Xi was a member of the Shangdang Party, the son of Li Mo, a great man of the Later Han Dynasty. He was a man of few lofty deeds and was well-known in his hometown.
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 my tribe that these days in Shangdang, there are people who are secretly communicating with each other and want to raise the flag of rebellion. This 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 tribe that the Shangdang Haoyou family may have been involved."
He looked at Deng Zhi and said in 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 in front of him."
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 man who knows military skills..."
Before Deng Zhi finished speaking, Li Xi slapped his thigh:
"Harm! Your Majesty, the great disaster I mentioned was precisely because of Wei Wenchang!"
Deng Zhi was shocked: "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 could not 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 his words, he suddenly realized something was wrong and quickly changed his words: "How could Chief Wei Wen do such a stupid thing?"
Isn't what Wei Wenchang did at this time the story of Guan Yunchang's battle with Xiangfan?
It's just that this person's behavior and temper are even more extreme 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, and he only had to 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. I wonder if they can defend Huguan?
Thinking of this, Deng Zhi shook his head repeatedly: "It's too risky, it's really too risky!"
Li Xun 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!"
Don't blame Li Xi for being so anxious.
After all, his hometown is Shangdang.
If something really happens to Shangdang and falls into the hands of Wei thieves again, then the in-laws in Shangdang will definitely be implicated.
"Harmful!" 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 difficult for me to intervene until the matter is unclear."
No official document has been sent yet about the rebellion in the Shangdang, and let alone the possibility that the Wei thieves may attack from Baixing, this is just the worst possible outcome of speculation.
Nothing has happened yet, so 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 didn't hesitate at all, and hurriedly scurried around, quickly revised a letter, and then immediately sent someone to send it out.
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 the Shangdang, we thought that Wei Wenchang should have the eyes and ears to report it."
"Perhaps Wei Yan already knows about this before our horses arrive."
When Li Xi heard this, the corner of his mouth twitched.
It would be great if the secret passage was true.
It's just that you don't know Wei Wenchang's temper?
Even I know about the fact that everyone in the dynasty is at odds with him.
Can we still expect him to put aside his stature and make friends with local powerful right-wingers 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 happened, Li Xi also knows that there is no point in being anxious.
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 true to what the envoy said and 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, how can I report this kind of false accusation without evidence? Isn't it a false accusation?"
"Besides, that is the Hedong Governor's Mansion..."
The governor of the Hedong Dudu Mansion was Wei Yan.
And after the Han Dynasty regained Bingzhou, not only was he not accused, but he continued to serve as Bingzhou's special commander, but it was because of the recommendation of the Central Protector.
Zhongduhu and Wei Wen were in the same boat. If he really wanted his clansmen to do this, wouldn't he be directly on the edge of the knife?
He sighed:
"Your Majesty is close to me, so even if you only listen to my family's words, you are willing to believe me. But that may not be the case with the Governor's Mansion in Hedong."
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 Shangdang rebels and the Wei thieves, both internal and external, 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, so there is no need to worry about thieves attacking.
And to the east is the Taihang Mountains, so there are usually some guards left at the pass.
In addition, in recent years, most of the Huns and barbarians in the county have been moved to Yanmen to serve as a frontier fortress.
Therefore, the defenders in Jinyang City are mostly county soldiers, and their combat power 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:
"I will obey your orders."
After saying that, he didn't dare to neglect, and quickly turned around and left the governor's house.
But 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 inform the clan that if anything goes wrong with the Shangdang, your whole family will immediately flee to Jinyang."
After the tribesmen responded, Li Xi got on his horse and headed north.