Seeing that his attitude was so resolute and that he had already made the final decision, several people looked at each other and didn't know what to say.
There is nothing to say. This kind of decision, whether it is to retreat or to continue the attack, is not a decision that ordinary people can make. Others do not dare to make this decision. Even if Su Yuanbai and others are elders of the three major sects of the Song Dynasty,
I don't dare to be the boss for Luo Zhao. If something happens, I can't take the responsibility.
When a large army fights, the only person on the battlefield who can command thousands of troops and make such a strategic decision is the commander-in-chief, Commander-in-Chief Luo Zhao.
However, as the number one confidant and advisor around Luo Zhao, Wen You must also think about Luo Zhao.
Wen You quietly glanced at the reactions of Su, Dong, and Chang, his eyes flickered, and he said at the right time: "Grand Governor, I have something to say, I don't know whether I should say it or not?"
Several people immediately looked at him, and Luo Zhao said: "Wen You, there are no outsiders here."
Su, Dong, and Chang also nodded slightly, not knowing what he had in common with Wen You.
Wen You hesitated and said: "What I'm worried about is the imperial court. Once Meng Shanming launches an attack on our Song Dynasty, the governor ignores it and allows him to attack. I'm afraid someone in the court will question the governor's intention."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of "report" from outside, and someone came in to deliver a letter from the imperial court.
Wen You first took it and looked at it, then handed it to Luo Zhao, "Grand Governor, the court has noticed this matter."
After Luo Zhao received the letter and read it, he said, "Reply truthfully."
Su, Dong, and Chang also took over and read the letter one after another. In the letter, the court also noticed that Meng Shanming was going to attack the Song Dynasty. The court was also worried. Meng Shanming was not a mediocre person, and asked Luo Zhao how to deal with it.
.
Obviously, the shadow left by Meng Shanming to the Song Dynasty is still there. Now that Meng Shanming has come out again, it may be against the Song Dynasty, which has made some people feel unsure.
Wen You quietly observed the reactions of the three elders again, and said aloud: "Grand Governor, it is natural to reply truthfully. I am afraid that I have to explain it carefully. Otherwise, people's words are terrible, and some people in the court who are holding back are afraid.
It will be uneasy. There are too many rumors, and everyone may not understand the great governor’s hard work here, and think that the great governor is hiding his selfish motives.”
Luo Zhao understood what he meant and said this to the three elders.
There are some things that can't be helped. No matter which country's court there is, if there is no monolithic issue, there will always be people who hold things back.
After thinking about it for a while, Luo Zhao said: "Explanation is of course necessary, and I want to reply to the letter. I wonder if the three elders can also write in to explain, so that no one will not know and think that Luo is talking to himself.
"
He hoped that the three of them would explain to the three major factions at the same time and help him stabilize the rear.
Su, Dong, and Chang looked at each other and finally nodded. Su Yuanbai said: "Don't worry, Governor. We have all seen that the Governor is working hard on the front line. He is absolutely unselfish. We will not sit back and watch the Governor suffer easily."
If you feel aggrieved, I will help you write a letter and explain clearly the stakes involved."
"Exactly." Dong Yinglai and Chang Fei nodded in agreement.
Luo Zhao immediately thanked him.
…
Changzhou's troops were so vast that they marched forward in two directions. In the middle of the two armies was a large army, which was the imperial troops who were being oppressed by the law-enforcement supervisors.
Outside the carriage, war horses were running back and forth, and information was constantly coming in. Someone was reporting on the progress of the pioneers in cutting down trees and making rafts along the riverside in the East Region.
A divine white horse was also leading beside the carriage, which was a gift given to Meng Shanming by Luo Zhao, the governor of the Song Dynasty.
Zhang Hu, the governor of Changzhou, learned that Luo Daan beside Meng Shanming was Luo An's son. He sighed with emotion. He had heard about Luo An's death, but only now did he know that Meng Shanming had taken Luo An's son with him to train him.
The younger son followed Lan Ruoting as a disciple and became Luo Shaofu's disciple.
Having such a thoughtful arrangement for the heir is a good thing that many people can't ask for. It can be said that the future is promising. If there is a future, his achievements will be far greater than Luo An. Zhang Hu sighed with emotion, and he must have died fighting to save Meng Shuai and the prince.
Luo An can rest in peace knowing that he knows the truth underground.
He and Luo An were also acquaintances. Although Luo An's rank was not as high as his own, he was a confidant of King Ning's bodyguards. The two of them were familiar with each other as brothers. There was no other way for the old friend to remove his feelings, but he also sent him away.
A nice war horse for Roan.
Along the way, he also took great care of Luo An.
Behind the carriage, Gongsun Bu led a dozen disciples from Wuliang Mountain to accompany him, each carrying a cage containing gold wings and covered with black cloth.
After receiving the summons from Niu Youdao, Gongsun Bu immediately led his people to meet Meng Shanming. Niu Youdao wanted to keep abreast of the situation here.
In the carriage, Meng Shanming swayed in it, with a map in front of him. Nowadays, the combat map is almost never far from his side.
After reading news and intelligence from various sources, he would often refer to the map to think.
There was also a book about solar terms beside him, and he would occasionally stick his head out of the window to look at the clouds in the sky.
After the army took a break, Meng Shanming was also lifted off the carriage to get some air.
Zhang Hu, who had received a letter and checked it nearby, strode over and handed the letter to Meng Shanming with both hands: "Commander, there is another decree from the court, ordering us to turn back and pursue the Song army immediately."
Meng Shanming waved his hand and did not answer the letter, saying that he did not want to read it. It seemed that those were the only things he looked at.
Zhang Hu had no choice but to give up, but tried to ask: "The commander-in-chief really wants to attack the Song Dynasty?"
Meng Shanming asked back: "Do you think I'm kidding?"
"No, the general doesn't mean that." Zhang Hu scratched his head and laughed. When facing this man, he occasionally couldn't help but show off the way he looked when he was still a soldier beside Meng Shanming, which annoyed people not far away.
The sergeant who saw it snickered. "The general just thinks that the Song Dynasty's defense line at Dongyujiang is impregnable, and our biggest trouble is food. We don't have food on hand, so this battle will be difficult to fight!"
Meng Shanming said slowly: "I am not old and foolish yet, I can make my own decision."
If he said this, what could Zhang Hu say?
As for the truth, it's not that Meng Shanming doesn't know it.
The ultimate meaning of a country's existence is the balance of supply and demand for people's livelihood. When a war breaks out, the balance of supply and demand will be broken immediately, and the severity of the break is far greater than the impact of other events. Large-scale wars can almost stop production in all walks of life.
It is a terrible thing to have no output and only consumption. The shortage of one material can cause a chain reaction of shortage of other materials.
The reason is very simple. For example, a normal household only saves ten days and a half of rations, because you can buy it with money in the market, so no one will worry too much. But if something happens to you, even every household has to save a month's rations.
When it is accumulated for every household in the country, it does not need to be all accumulated, but only a considerable part, which can immediately destroy the food supply balance of the entire country, or even cause the balance to collapse.
This is why things that seem to be very common on the market seem to suddenly disappear once a war breaks out.
This is also the reason why since ancient times, a good country is prone to famine once war breaks out.
Suddenly an alarm sound came from behind, and Zhang Hu suddenly looked back.
Several large birds flew in the sky, and immediately a large bird took off to greet them to check.
The master of Zijin Cave, Dharma Master, came in person, and Gong Lince came all the way from Yanjing. The disciples of Zijin Cave immediately came forward to pay their respects.
After casually asking some questions from his classmates, Gong Lince came to Meng Shanming and found that Meng Shanming had a tired look on his face and bloodshot eyes. He said calmly: "Meng Shuai, we meet again. He looks very tired.
Isn’t it okay if you don’t have a rest?”
Meng Shanming sighed, "Thanks to the care of the head of the palace, you can come here in person. You shouldn't come here specifically to see me, right?"
Gong Linche: "You don't know why I came. The Song army has already rushed to the capital to kill, but you refused to obey orders. Instead of pursuing the Song army, you allowed the army to retreat. This has caused panic in the court. Why?
reason?"
Meng Shanming: "I am also following orders. The head of the palace should ask Prince Yong."
Gong Linche: "Who is in control of the war? Do you and I need to make detours?"
Meng Shanming: "I have told the disciples of the three major sects what I should say. Luo Zhao just wants to lead our army by the nose. It is useless for us to catch up. Could it be that the disciples of the three major sects did not tell them?"
Gong Linche: "Is the explanation too simple to convince the public? You have said what you should say. Now that I am here in person, should you say something to me that you should not say?"
Meng Shanming: "What does the palace master want to know?"
Gong Lince: "Why did the army refuse to save the capital, why did it not fight the Song army, and why did it withdraw here?"
Meng Shanming: "The movement of the army is so obvious. I don't think the head of the palace can't see it. I want to gather the army to attack the Song Dynasty to break the siege of the capital. I hope to attract the Song army back so that a quick victory can be achieved!"
"
"Hope?" Gong Linche: "It's a good idea, but what if the Song army refuses to turn around?"
Meng Shanming: "Master of the palace, the food in hand of the army cannot last even ten days. If the court can give me enough food, that's no problem. I will definitely pursue the Song army and find a way to annihilate it. But
How to pursue the current situation? If I really follow the Song Army's wishes and pursue it, the Song Army will only need to slip our army for a few days, and the army will be deprived of food and will be defeated without a fight. Under such circumstances, we have to issue continuous orders to force
, I would like to ask the head of the palace, what are the people in the court thinking in their minds?"
Gong Lin's strategy included silence. He could more or less guess what the people in the court were thinking and why they were frightened.
Meng Shanming sighed again, "I have no choice but to do it, Master Gong. Now I can only endanger the Song Dynasty and force the Song army to come back and fight me quickly. Again, the food supply will not last long!"
Gong Linche: "I still say the same thing, what if the Song army refuses to turn around?"
Meng Shanming: "It's not a bad thing. The main force of the Song army is getting farther and farther away from me. It's difficult to return reinforcements in a hurry. I have no worries and can attack the Song Dynasty with confidence. It depends on how Luo Zhao chooses."
Gong Linche: "As far as I know, the Song army's defense line is tight. Can it be easily broken? What if it cannot be broken for a long time? You also said that there is not enough food on hand."
Meng Shanming's voice suddenly became a little louder, "You have to attack even if you can't attack. If you don't attack, will the army still have a way to survive? The head of the palace can go and take a look. The people behind the army are eating grass and tree bark. If you want to start from
The people can't even grab anything they want to eat. The conditions in the Song Kingdom are better than those in the Yan Kingdom. Only by attacking the Song Kingdom can I find some way. As the commander, I can't just watch my men starve to death. The army must fight.
Find a way to survive!"
Gong Lince: "Are you going to sit back and watch the fall of Yanjing?"
Meng Shanming asked in return, "Do the three major factions want to protect the capital or the Yan Kingdom?"