The reinforcements coming from the northwest were indeed Yuan Zhenqian's Northwest Army. After being blocked by the Liao Army in Taiyuan Prefecture for nearly twenty days, the Northwest Army finally captured Taiyuan Prefecture five days ago and opened up the channel to reinforce Bianliang. Although twenty There were only 190,000 soldiers left in the 50,000-strong army, including more than 20,000 wounded soldiers. However, Yuan Zhengqian did not stop at all. After taking Taiyuan, he led 150,000 cavalry to rush for reinforcements. The journey originally only took three days. , they had to be delayed for two days due to heavy snowfall, and it was not until dusk five days later that they arrived west of the capital.
But good food is not afraid of being late, and they came at the right time. It was when Bianliang City was in the most critical condition, and Yuan Zhenqian and the others arrived as timely as providing help in the snow. Faced with this situation, the Jurchens decisively chose to withdraw their troops.
When it was dark, Yuan Zhenqian led more than a hundred generals to fly into Bianliang City from Wansheng Gate in the West City. After entering the inner city through Jiuliang Gate, the generals of the Forbidden Army had already been waiting here to greet them. Hundreds of horsemen galloped past on the long street. Go straight into the palace.
In Chongzheng Hall, the lights were brightly lit. Guo Xu, Lu Zhongtian and others stood on the tall steps of Chongzheng Hall, waiting for Yuan Zhengqian's arrival. Yuan Zhengqian got off his horse at the foot of the steps, and ran up the stone steps in three steps and two steps, hoping to greet him with a smile on his face. Guo Xu kowtowed when he arrived.
"Yuan Zhengqian bows to the emperor, long live my emperor!"
Guo Xu laughed, stretched out his hand to pull him up, and said loudly: "General Yuan, no courtesy, no courtesy. General Yuan's great meritorious minister came all the way to the capital to relieve the siege. His hard work is great. He will be fine soon!"
Yuan Zhengqian felt ashamed and said: "Your Majesty, I am extremely ashamed. I came late to save you, which frightened the Emperor and the soldiers and civilians in the capital. This is all my fault. I planned to capture Taiyuan Prefecture in a few days, so I did not make a detour in time." , I didn’t expect that the Liao people were very determined to defend the city, but in the end they were riding a tiger and couldn’t get off, which delayed too much time. I also asked the emperor to punish his ministers.”
Guo Xu laughed and said: "Punishment? That's too serious. You came at the right time. It doesn't matter if it's a moment earlier or a moment later. This is God's will. This is God's blessing for me, Zhou Guozuo. Everything is arranged. Ha ha ha ha."
When Guo Xu said this, all the officials also laughed. Lu Zhongtian also said: "Yes, the emperor is right. Everything is the best arrangement and is God's will. Mr. Yuan arrived in time and was frightened. It was a great achievement to stop the Jurchens and teach them to return in defeat. In addition, the Northwest Army defeated the enemy of the Liao Army in Taiyuan Prefecture and defeated two powerful enemies in a row. Who can match such a feat? Mr. Yuan, don't be humble. , come into the palace and take a seat, the emperor has specially hosted a celebration banquet for you in the Chongzheng Palace. You are the first person to hold a banquet in the Chongzheng Palace since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty."
Yuan Zhengqian then hurriedly stepped forward to salute Lu Zhongtian. After all, he was loyal to Lu Zhongtian, but at this time, he naturally had to see the emperor first.
After everyone had finished the ceremony, they entered the hall and took their seats. Guo Xu personally poured wine for Yuan Zhengqian, and led all the civil and military personnel to go to Yuan Zhengqian. Yuan Zhengqian was really flattered, and his hands trembled with excitement, and he almost knocked over the wine cup. After three rounds of wine, Everyone couldn't help but talk about today's battle with lingering fears. Although the casualty statistics have not yet been fully released, a rough estimate of the casualties on both sides has been made. In today's battle, the number of casualties among the Zhou Imperial Army was as high as 37,000. The Liao people suffered at least 50,000 casualties. In the past half day and a few hours, the North City Wall was like a man-eating tiger's mouth, devouring tens of thousands of lives alive and creating more than 50,000 disabled soldiers and horses. .
Many of these people will not survive tonight because their injuries are too serious. In the coming period, many people will die due to infection or worsening of their injuries.
While sighing, some people also loudly praised the emperor's majesty for coming to the battlefield and participating in the battle in person today. Yuan Zhengqian was also filled with admiration. He told Guo Xu: "When I was thirty miles away, I heard a report from an army scout that there was a colorful yellow dragon flag at the top of the city. When it rises, it means that the emperor is personally present on the battlefield. I was filled with admiration in my heart at that time. The emperor was so majestic that the soldiers and civilians were all inspired. If this battle is considered the first achievement, it should be recorded on the emperor's head. I admire the emperor's fearless spirit. land."
Guo Xu laughed loudly and glanced at Lu Zhongtian involuntarily, feeling very proud of himself. Although he had no choice but to go to the war today, his actions today obviously shocked some people. Just like a gambler who takes a big gamble and loses. The desperate situation was right in front of him. He had no choice but to put his life on the line, but in the end he won the life-and-death game. The dark side immediately became clear. When he came down from the top of the city, Guo Xu could clearly feel that the ministers, generals and even ordinary soldiers were The true worship and admiration in the eyes of the people was something he had never felt since he came to the throne. Guo Xu also seemed to have vaguely found the secret to secure his throne. It was definitely not what he had worried about before. The danger of the throne being improper lies in whether he has acted and taken responsibility, and whether he has the courage and actions that everyone looks up to. It has nothing to do with his actions of corrupting Tsunade by killing his brother and forcing his father to death. The common people What they want is an emperor who can take charge at critical moments. They don't care how you got the position of emperor.
Guo Xu regrets that he has only begun to understand this truth today, but he thinks it is not too late. As long as he survives the current crisis, he is confident that he can regain the initiative and achieve the goal he wants. Of course, In addition to the Jurchens, the biggest enemy that hinders him is the person who has exposed his ambition and treats himself as a plaything in the applause. The person whom he once trusted and relied on will be the biggest obstacle that hinders him.
"The emperor's behavior today is very brave, and it has indeed inspired the morale of the soldiers. The veteran also admires it very much. However, the veteran still believes that such a move is not advisable. The emperor's behavior of putting himself in a dangerous place is very immature. I don't think twice about it, and I hope the emperor will not insist on going his own way and take such risks in the future." Lu Zhongtian said these words lightly, and he sneered at Guo Xu's complacency. It was just Guo Xu's good luck today, otherwise his behavior today would be to seek death. He wanted to pour cold water on Guo Xu to prevent him from being immersed in complacency.
Guo Xu drank a lot of wine, and his courage was much stronger than usual. In addition, he had an epiphany today, and he was even more unwilling to obey. Hearing this, he laughed and said: "Prime Minister Lu is also my Privy Envoy of the Great Zhou Dynasty. During the battle, you are the one The Privy Envoy of the Great Zhou Dynasty does not know where he is. I am the emperor and the grandson of Prime Minister Lu. Naturally, I cannot ask the elders to go to dangerous battlefields in person. Therefore, part of my behavior today is to take risks on your behalf, lest the common people in the future It is said that you have done nothing as Privy Councilor. Well, at the beginning, your position as Privy Councilor was a temporary one, and it is true that you cannot be asked to do more. But now I feel that the position of Privy Councilor in the Great Zhou Dynasty has a new The candidate has been selected. I wonder if my grandfather will agree to my appointment of Yuan Zhenqian as the Privy Envoy? Just because of his great contribution in leading the army in time to save Bianliang today, and in terms of his contribution to defeating the Liao Army in Taiyuan, it is also
You should be rewarded."
Lu Zhongtian was shocked and shocked. With his wisdom, he would immediately understand what Guo Xu was doing. Guo Xu wanted to give up the post of privy envoy and give it to Yuan Zhenqian. This was obviously a kind of wooing. Guo Xu's idea I am afraid that he not only wants to reward Yuan Zhenqian, but also wants to draw Yuan Zhenqian towards him, and even seems to want to make Yuan Zhenqian his opponent. Guo Xu seems to be willing to give it all.
"No, no, no, how can a humble minister be so virtuous as to be able to take on such a big position? Your Majesty, you must not do it, but I don't have the ability. The post of Privy Councilor can only be held by Prime Minister Lu, and the humble minister will never dare to think anything wrong." Yuan Zhengqian himself was also shocked. Although the position of Privy Councilor of the Great Zhou Dynasty was very attractive to him, how could he seize this position from Lu Zhongtian? No matter how he thought about it in his heart, he could only be humble in his mouth.
"Why not? The position of privy envoy is not an official position, but a heavy responsibility. Whoever holds this position at this moment will be responsible for retreating from the enemy. I want you to take the responsibility. Are you unwilling to take the responsibility? Mr. Lu You have so many things to do every day, but you are still busy working on your own in this old age, how can you bear it? I think you should show your loyalty by not giving in." Guo Xu started to rush the ducks to the shelves.
"No, no, no, I am incompetent and dare not accept it." Yuan Zhengqian refused.
One insisted on granting the official position of Privy Councilor, and the other waved his hand to refuse, it seemed like a farce. Lu Zhongtian frowned and said nothing, but Chen Bin and others couldn't stand it anymore.
"Your Majesty, how can we be hasty about such a major matter? The Emperor cannot do this on a whim. The responsibilities of the Privy Council are so important that they cannot be easily replaced. Even if it is a replacement, it must be discussed later. The time is not right now. Your Majesty, think twice." Chen Bin said in a deep voice.
Guo Xu shook his head and smiled: "Chen Bin, I'm afraid you don't understand what I mean. I made such a decision just for the sake of the current situation. Do you think Yuan Zhengqian is not suitable to be the Privy Councilor?"
Chen Bin was speechless for a moment. Guo Xu's words were obviously a trap, just to stir up dissatisfaction between Yuan Zhenqian and Chen Bin. This was to use force to deliberately lead Chen Bin astray, and Chen Bin nodded. , Shaking his head is not the case. Nodding means admitting that he thinks Yuan Zhengqian is not worthy of being Privy Councilor, shaking his head means he thinks Yuan Zhengqian is qualified, so there is no reason to object. At the critical moment, Guo Xu's IQ was so high that he used his strength to make Chen Bin speechless. right.
"Since the emperor thinks Lord Yuan is qualified, I naturally agree with him. Tomorrow morning, the emperor will issue an appointment, and I am indeed very tired. I am very worried about the defense of the city. It is not easy for someone to be willing to help me. I am happy. It's not too late yet. This matter is settled like this." Lu Zhongtian said in a deep voice.
"Dad, how can you agree to this?" Lu Tianci shouted in shock. Chen Bin, Zhu Zhirong, Wang Jun and others also cried out in shock. Prime Minister Lu actually wanted to let Xian go? How could this happen?
"Prime Minister Lu, you must not do it. Only Prime Minister Lu's prestige can stabilize the situation. How can Prime Minister Lu do this now? The morale of the military is unstable this time."
"That's right, Prime Minister Lu, think about it again. Not everyone can take on the position of Privy Councilor. You must not do it." Everyone stopped him one after another.
"I have made up my mind, no need to say more. Your Majesty, I drank a few more drinks and my head is a little dizzy. I want to go back and rest early. Mr. Yuan, I have neglected you. If I have time someday, I will drink a few more drinks with you. "Farewell!" Lu Zhongtian interrupted everyone and stood up to salute.
