Han Zhen received the edict and felt angry and depressed in his heart.
On the occasion of the great victory, the troops returned to the court, and the soldiers were unwilling to do so.
He pushed all this to Zhang Yue who did not want him to return to the court to pay homage to the prime minister after achieving great success, so he stopped his intention to expedition to the north.
Han Zhen had expected part of it, but not all the facts. Han Zhen guessed that Zhang Yue was right in not wanting him to serve and return to the court to replace him, but he did not expect that Zhang Yue had arranged a way out for him.
In the same way, Zhang Yue misunderstood some of Han Zhen's facts, but not all the facts. Zhang Yue believed that Han Zhen was a man of power and self-respect, and did not listen to the court's orders. Unexpectedly, the other party also had plans.
After all, Han Zhen did not have the courage to resist the imperial edict. In the end, under the emperor's edict, he was forced to abandon the captured Weizhou.
The soldiers of the Western Army were in an uproar.
Although he withdrew his troops, in order to show off his force, Han Zhen stayed in Weizhou for two more days, destroyed the city walls, burned down the houses, and forcibly moved all the nearby Dangxiang tribesmen to the Song Dynasty.
Zhang Gen also returned to Huanzhou from Weizhou as a supervisor of the army. The soldiers in the army did not understand why, but Han Zhen did listen to what he said, "There are treacherous ministers in the court."
Han Zhen's domineering behavior in Shaanxi is obvious to all, and it is true that he disobeys the imperial court's orders, but the more he does this, the more he wins the hearts of the military.
A general asked Zhang Gen, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally: "May I ask the supervisor, are there any treacherous ministers in the court?"
Yao Gu listened attentively, and Zhang Gen said: "There is no treacherous minister. He is just using the art of war and holding back."
Zhang Gen said one sentence and then stopped.
"Fortunately, I won this time. I wonder if there will be any reward from the court?" Zhao Long asked with a smile.
Yao Gu said: "Didn't you see that it was an urgent order to withdraw the troops? I'm afraid there is no reward."
As soon as he said this, the dissatisfaction of the soldiers on both sides was palpable.
Zhang Gen knew where this resentment was coming from.
As he was speaking, several riders suddenly galloped past, their faces full of haste. Zhang Gen, Zhao Long and Yao Gu all had stern expressions when they saw this.
"The entire army is on alert!"
Just then, Zhao Long lost his voice and said: "Dangxiang's army is coming!"
Zhao Longbei pointed to the rising yellow sand in the distance...
Zhang Gen looked steadily into the distance, and the horn sounded loudly and loudly.
…
Two days later, at the foot of Huanzhou City, hundreds of cavalrymen galloped to the foot of the city. The horses were all of the highest quality.
Under the moonlight, on the already freezing Huanqing Road, horses' hooves galloped past, startling the barking of dogs in the nearby fort, and the guards went upstairs with lights and weapons to watch.
Zhang Gen was panting heavily on his horse. Han Zhen's dispatch of troops to Weizhou was very smooth, but Dang Xiang reacted so quickly and actually mobilized the army to cover the attack. The Song army was just about to retreat, and the army had followed Han Zhen back to Huanzhou.
The rear army, which numbered no more than ten thousand, was stationed in Weizhou to clean up the battlefield. It was previously thought that Dangxiang was vulnerable, but he was hasty and unprepared and was attacked. The rear army retreated all the way to Huanzhou.
Zhang Gen was not in the rear army, so he was not attacked by the first wave, but he was overtaken by Dangxiang's cavalry. He retreated all the way, and encountered Dangxiang's chasing cavalry on the way and successfully repelled them, and returned to Huanzhou City.
We are now approaching Huanzhou City, and along the way there are retreating Song troops. They have lost their baggage and are running on the road in panic. When they hear the sound of horse hooves from behind, they are like frightened birds.
Zhang Gen wanted to return to Huanzhou City, but he was stopped on the way and was not allowed to enter the city. He only asked them to settle elsewhere.
The soldiers heard this and were in an uproar. The party's pursuers may have entered the Song Dynasty, but they were not allowed to enter the city, as long as they resettled elsewhere. If nothing else, even if the weather was freezing, the troops stationed in the wilderness would suffer from frostbite.
However, no matter what the officers and soldiers said, they refused to enter Huanzhou City and kept saying that they would be punished for the crime of rebellion.
Zhang Gen immediately guessed that Han Zhen in the city must be afraid that the imperial envoys would report back to the imperial court after learning about the rear army's defeat, so Han Zhen blocked the news and prevented them from entering the city.
At this time, Zhang Gen could have ordered Zhao Long and Yao Gu to lead their troops and horses to stay outside the city, and then enter Huanzhou City himself after giving his name.
However, Zhang Gen did not do this. Instead, he and his soldiers stayed outside in the wilderness. At dawn the next day, Zhang Gen brought several cavalry to report into the city.
After Zhang Gen entered Huanzhou City, he saw that everything in the city was under strict censorship, and many places were occupied by soldiers and horses, as if he was facing a formidable enemy.
Zhang Gen thought to himself, it has only been more than two years.
When the two previous expeditions against Xia were defeated, the soldiers who retreated from Lingzhou City to Huanzhou City were in a panic, like bereaved dogs.
After these two years, do you think that once Liangzhou wins, the party's troops will collapse?
As a result, after the first battle, they won first and then lost, which also exposed the Song army's inability to fight on the outside.
In the battles between the Song Dynasty and Dangxiang in these years, the Song army has repeatedly won unexpectedly, and then failed almost always.
Zhang Gen did not return to his camp, but rested for a while in the teahouse because he was thirsty. Several cavalrymen following him took a rest downstairs of the teahouse. At this time, the war was in chaos, and these people were only focused on chatting. Zhang Gen took advantage of the opportunity to go out and get some food.
I wrote a letter with hidden pen and ink, and then handed the letter to a person sitting idle in the teahouse.
After receiving the letter, the other party drank tea for a while before leaving, going straight to the home of an official in the city.
Then Zhang Gen took several horses back to the camp, but saw that where the camp was, the soldiers had their swords unsheathed and arrows cocked.
Zhang Gen returned to his room to rest for a while, and Han Zhen sent someone to call him.
Zhang Gen met Han Zhen, who seemed a little restless, but said on his face: "My good nephew has returned safely. I am about to lead troops out of the city to find you."
Zhang Gen said: "My nephew has nothing to do. He just went to patrol the city and saw that the hearts of the soldiers and the people are relatively stable. Then he came back to resume his duties!"
Han Zhen praised: "You should think carefully. Did I hear that the imperial court has secretly negotiated peace with Dang Xiang?"
Zhang Gen said: "My nephew doesn't know, and my father didn't tell me in his book at home."
Han Zhen said: "A letter from home is worth ten thousand gold, how can you say these things? It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. This time Zhao Long and Yao Gu have achieved their first meritorious service. If you have done well in military training, I will also report it to you."
"Thank you, Prime Minister, for your cultivation!" Zhang Gen seemed neither eager nor cold, which was in line with his dignified manner of being unfazed by honor and disgrace.
Han Zhen added: "It's just that some people in the imperial court don't want to see Weizhou's victory, and may even make noises about it."
Zhang Gen said: "Why do you need to say this, Prime Minister? The hearts of the people in the imperial court support you in fighting this battle. The public opinion in the world is on your side."
Han Zhen said: "You have a big tree at home, so these things won't bother you on weekdays. In the final analysis, your own troops are not up to par."
Zhang Gendao: "To destroy the party, we cannot just rely on the troops on either side of the road. The achievements of the prime minister in governing Shaanxi over the years are seen by everyone from top to bottom. As for my father, Chang Dao also said that the Zhang and Han families have been friends for decades.
As an official, you must know how to repay kindness, and he will also support you, Prime Minister."
Han Zhen sighed: "Yes, life is only a few decades short. Sometimes, if a thought breaks out, you take another path, which will result in eternal hatred."
Han Zhen immediately said: "You go down and rest first. I have a letter here to send to your father. I will ask you to explain it to me when the time comes."
Seeing Han Zhen's sudden change of attitude, Zhang Gen said: "Yes."
Zhang Gen then returned to the room, and after a while he was about to find an excuse to go out, but was stopped by someone. He learned that there were party spies coming in and out of the city, so no one in the palace was allowed to go out without Han Zhen's wishes.
Zhang Gen showed an unexpected expression and went back to the room to read quietly.
