On May 23, after learning that Li Zhi had started a war against Gao Shiyou, Qu Duan issued an order to his subordinates to prepare for one day, and send troops to Hedong early tomorrow morning! He Guan also went to Hezhong Mansion to sit in the town, urging Yan Yan Zhang Shen, and King Huanqing seemed to lead the army as soon as possible. Xu Wei saw that one of the two of them was in a hurry to raise the sixth road in the town, and the other was in a hurry to pick up the grass and beat the rabbit, and they didn't take the righteous army seriously, so they knew that it was in vain, so they didn't bother to talk about it.

At noon that day, due to the hot weather, Xu Weizheng was sitting in the military tent in his clothes and taking a nap, but he couldn't calm down when he was upset, and his heart was like seventeen or eighteen cats scratching, which was very blocked. I got up and went to the door of the tent to blow the wind, still uneasy, turned around to the table and poured a bowl of water to drink, just drank two sips and choked, I was angry, and threw the big bowl on the table, just a foot away, I actually fell to the ground and fell to the ground.

Xu Wei's heart sank, and he always felt that something was wrong. When he was bored, Xu Sheng came in a hurry, and as soon as he entered the account, he said: "Ninth brother, my heart has been empty for half a day, isn't something going to happen?" ”

Xu Wei stared at the porcelain pieces on the ground, expressionless, and didn't say a word. I thought to myself, I have never believed in the theory of strange forces and chaos, but do these indicate that Hedong will not be able to please this time? As I was thinking about it, I heard the sound of hooves outside, as rapid as the rain hitting the roof tiles. The curtain was lifted, and a person was rushed in, but he was a young man, only fourteen or fifteen years old, with a dark face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a vigorous and heroic spirit. But he was wearing plain clothes, and a white cloth was tied on his head, and when he came in, he knelt on the ground.

Xu Wei didn't know him, but Xu Sheng recognized it at a glance, this was the eldest son of the fifth brother Xu Hong, Xu Rong, who was in the Shandong army with his father. He came here in plain clothes, could it be...... Xu Si was shocked, and before he could ask, Xu Rong had already cried bitterly: "Fourth uncle, ninth uncle, nephew Xu Rong ......"

Xu Jiu suddenly shivered on a hot day, Xu Si was stunned for a while, and suddenly stepped forward to pull up his nephew and asked loudly, "What's the matter?" Say it! ”

Xu Rong burst into tears, looked at his uncle and cried: "Uncle is an old man......"

Xu Sheng's hand loosened, and he felt a chill in his heart, staring at his nephew with wide eyes, his mouth wide open but unable to speak. His feet were weak, and he sat on the ground, and he didn't come back to his senses for a long time. Xu Wei strode forward and asked in a loud voice, "When is it?" ”

"More than ten days ago! At that time, Shuzu was leading the armies of Shandong and Hebei to fight fiercely with the Gao army, Gao Xiaogong was ambushed and defeated, our army took the opportunity to cover up and kill, and when he chased to Xiajin, Shuzu Shaobao learned that the Gao army dug up the ancestral grave of the Xu family, and he was furious, triggering a chronic illness, and died at noon on May 11. The nephew was ordered by his father to make a detour to Beijing and invite the two uncles to return to their hometown for funeral. Xu Rong replied.

Before he finished speaking, Yang Yan Matai broke into the tent one after another, all of them with a look of horror on their faces. In the eyes of these descendants of Xujiazhuang, Mrs. Xu is like a god, how could he die? Seeing Fourth Brother Xu sitting on the ground, Brother Jiu's face turned pale, and the two looked at each other, not knowing where to start.

Xu Wei looked ahead blankly, his mind was instantly blank, and he didn't even believe it was true. Xu Si, with Xu Rong's support, slowly got up from the ground. Yang Yan and Ma Tai all came around and whispered mourning.

Xu Sheng stood in front of his younger brother face to face, and put his left hand on his shoulder and shook it vigorously. Xu Wei found that the fourth brother's eyes were red, his cheeks were agitated, and he hadn't said a word, but two lines of hot tears had already run down his cheeks...... Not long after, colleagues in the army got the news and rushed to mourn, including Yao Pingzhong. Xu Zhang can be said to be the pillar of the country in recent years, the leader of the army, with an old body in charge of the army, from Shaanxi to the Central Plains, from Hebei to Shandong, everywhere he goes, he is invincible, invincible, and the name of the first tiger general of the Western Army does not fade in the slightest because of his old age. This is enough to set an example for those in the ranks.

On the same day, after He Guan got the news, he was also deeply shocked and expressed his condolences to the Xu brothers in person. According to the imperial court system, when parents die, civil and military officials need to "worry about Ding" and "mourn", but now Xu Si and Xu Jiu are all generals of the unified army, and the troops will be sent to Hedong soon. He Guan considered it, and Xu Sheng "took love", Xu Xu Wei "Ding worry", and ordered him to return to the daimyo as soon as possible to handle Xu Shaobao's posthumous affairs.

As a military minister, he naturally only obeys military orders, even if Xu Sheng is grief-stricken, he can only tell his younger brother to take care of the funeral. After Xu Wei briefly arranged the affairs of the army, he got up on the same day, went directly to the east of the river, crossed the river in Mengyang, and rushed to the Daimyo's mansion via Gyeonggi Road.

On the second day of the first month of June, Xu Wei crossed the river to Daimyo, and before he arrived in the city, he saw that the people were serving filial piety, and some people looked east and wept. When entering the city, I saw that the soldiers had no fighting spirit, the city was full of sorrow, and some people even looked at the sky and cried.

The former Beijing Left-behind Department of the Bureau, with a forest of white flags, and the guards outside the door are all vegetarian. Xu Wei and Xu Rong and his entourage went straight to the gate of the mansion and stopped, and the old servant of the Xu Mansion looked at Xu Jiu, cried and shouted: "The nine officials are back!" ”

Xu Wei gritted his teeth and strode in, and as soon as he entered the mansion, he rushed out of Xu Hong, and the soldiers swarmed up, putting on plain clothes and tying white cloth for Xu Wei, but he didn't stop a step, and when he saw the fifth brother, he only nodded slightly.

Xu Zhang's mourning temple is above the lobby of the yamen, and when Xu Wei broke in, he only saw a tablet, "so Shaobao Xu Gongzhang's spiritual position". When Xu Wei saw it, he turned his head and asked, "Where is my father?" ”

Xu Hong, who followed him, sighed, and said in a hoarse voice: "Uncle's body is in the White Horse Temple in the city, and the imperial court has issued an edict, and the quasi-uncle will be temporarily buried in Jingshi, and he will be buried in Sangzi when the world is peaceful." Xu Wei listened, turned his head and left, everyone on the spot knew that he was powerful, and no one dared to stop him.

Xu Zhang is an important member of the imperial court, and even if he dies, he cannot be buried casually, until the emperor personally decrees. Therefore, Xu Hong, as a nephew, handled the funeral in the absence of Xu Sheng and Xu Wei, and temporarily parked his uncle's body in the stone chamber of the temple, which was called "Quancuo". Xu Wei wore filial piety, led the soldiers, and hurriedly walked in the city of Daimyo. When the people saw this, they all looked sideways, and when they learned that it was Xu Shaobao's son Xu Jiu who returned, they were all very grateful.

After entering the White Horse Temple, Xu Wei left the guards, alone under the guidance of the monks, and entered the temple after Tallinn. There is a stone chamber on the west wall, and Xu Zhang's coffin is temporarily placed here. At that time, the stone gate had been sealed, the incense case was set up, and the ash paper embers were piled up, and it was not difficult to imagine the grandeur of the ceremony of the right house.

Xu Wei retreated everyone, walked slowly to the incense case, took the three pillars of incense and burned it, put it on top of his head, and bowed his head and said, "Dad, my son is back." From the moment he heard the bad news, even Yang Yan Matai cried profusely, but Xu Wei didn't shed a single tear, and he always thought that he could bear it. Unexpectedly, now in front of his father's right house, he just called "Dad", and tears have flowed...... In fact, he was not Xu Zhang's son, but he borrowed this skin to return his soul. But now, he doesn't seem to remember this, and he can't kneel more than a dozen steps away from his "father".

The bits and pieces of getting along with Xu Zhang in the past came to my heart. The long sigh outside the door, the mournful cry on the small bridge, was like a sharp cone, twisting his heart. The old man who is sleeping forever is indeed stubborn and stubborn, but who meticulously put on the armor for himself in the first place? Who repeatedly told him that he had no eyes? It's him, the strict father who rarely shows his loving side.

Kneeling on the ground, Xu Wei let the sweat wash away the dust of his servants. A person like him, in his previous life, he was running around the rivers and lakes to eat, and in this life, he led troops to fight, and he was used to seeing life and death, but it was actually difficult to be moved. But at this time, he is no longer the mighty Purple Gold Tiger, he is a son who has lost his father.

There was a slight sound of footsteps behind him, and he stopped about two or three paces away. Xu Hong looked at his sad cousin, and wanted to comfort him, but he didn't know what to say. After thinking about it again and again, he whispered: "I learned in advance that Gao Xiaogong dug up my Xu family's ancestral grave, but I didn't dare to speak out because I was worried that Uncle A's health would be ill. Unexpectedly, the paper couldn't contain the fire after all, and when the pursuit of Gao Jun arrived in Xia Jin, my uncle still learned about the situation. Fell off the horse with a loud shout, and when the generals snatched it back, they were already angry. The three armies had no commander and could not resume the war, and after withdrawing to the Daimyo Castle, my uncle was already dying. ”

"I knew that I was not in danger, and asked what I had to say, but my uncle couldn't speak at that time, but he kept chanting 'wine' and 'wine', and the generals didn't know what to do, so I asked, is my uncle looking forward to the return of the ninth brother? As soon as I finished speaking, my uncle died in a rage......"

Xu Wei didn't seem to hear these words, and knelt in front of the incense case uprightly, but tears were raining down.

The sun is getting west, the afterglow of the sunset is sprinkled into this ancient temple in Tallinn, Xu Wei is still kneeling, the sun drags his figure for a long time, this person who was pushed by the heroes of the two rivers as the "little cardinal minister", in this way, expresses his grief for the father who is not his father...... Xu Zhang's death is considered to be the greatest loss in the army and even the imperial court after the cultivation of the master. Zhao Huan expressed great grief and personally wrote an edict, speaking highly of Xu Zhang's great achievements after re-entering the mountain. "With the death of Shaobao, the country lost a Great Wall, like a broken arm, and it hurts my heart." This pillar of the country, the veteran of the army, died on the way to pursue the enemy, and he deserves to be respected by the world. The soldiers and civilians of Hebei and Shandong heard the bad news, "the soldiers and civilians are all sentimental, and the sound of sighing is heard on the road."

In the edict, in addition to expressing condolences, Zhao Huan also posthumously presented Xu Zhang as "Zhao Guogong" and "Kaifu Yitong Sansi", and all funeral expenses were paid by the imperial court. Because the Daimyo's Mansion was close to the Gaozhi territory, the ancestral tomb of the Xu family was stolen and excavated by the Gao army, so Xu Zhang's body was allowed to be transported to Jingshi for burial, and then returned to his hometown after the four seas were calmed down in the future. He also ordered that Xu Zhang's tomb be raised as a sign of grace.

According to the system, Xu Wei had to mourn for three years, and from the day after returning to the Daimyo's Mansion, he kept filial piety for his father in the White Horse Temple, closed the door and thanked guests, and no one was seen. But at this time, a storm was rolling up on the land east of the river.

The day after Xu Wei left the front line, He Guan considered that the Hujie Township Army was founded by Xu Wei, and others were afraid that they would not be able to command it, so he handed over the military power to Xu Sheng, and he temporarily took the position of "commander of the capital". The Shaanxi Chinese soldiers were the vanguard and killed the east of the river. Qu Duan was determined to play a majestic role this time, so he did not let the Hujie Township Army, which had fought with Li Jun and Jin Jun many times, be the vanguard, but led the Huazhou Army to the forefront.

Seeing the Western Army unexpectedly appearing in front of them, the Hedong Righteous Army was all stunned. At the end of May, Qu Duan easily took the Weisheng army, and his troops suffered fewer than a hundred casualties. After discovering that Li Jun's defense was empty, he soon ordered Zhang Zhongfu and Zhang Zhongyan's brothers to divide their troops to take Liaofen Erzhou, and it was decided again. So much so that Yao Pingzhong, who was in a hurry to make contributions, didn't even drink the soup.

But it doesn't matter, the opportunity will come soon, after the Shaanxi Hua Army arrives in Yuci County, the southern gate of Taiyuan. Li Zhi's eldest son, Li Dan, who stayed in Taiyuan Mansion, raised 10,000 horses and infantry troops and came to meet the enemy. Li Dan has no courage of his father and brother, but when people come to him, he can't ignore it. When the two armies faced each other, Li Dan saw the Huazhou army at Quduan, with a strict appearance and bright armor, he actually ignored more than 10,000 soldiers and fled after hitting the horse!

As soon as he ran, Qu Duan led thousands of people to rush, and Li's army was like a mountain, and it was miserable. After returning to Taiyuan, Li Dan couldn't hold on, and let Quduan's troops scold outside the city, even if he scolded his ancestors for eighteen generations, he would never fight.

At this time, Li Zhi was stepping up his attack on Zhending, and he knew that it would not be long before the Jurchens would send troops to intervene. But when he learned that the Western Army was out of Shaanxi and was besieging his old nest Taiyuan, this troubled world was horrified! He never expected that the Southern Dynasty would dare to take the initiative to turn his back on Jingkang and attack him. At the moment, the dilemma is in front of us. If you don't return to the teacher, you won't be able to hold Taiyuan with the piece of material from your eldest son. If he returns to meet the enemy, this disaster has already been broken, how will the Jurchens deal with him? After thinking about it, Li Zhi still decided to return to Taiyuan.

His value to the Jurchens lies in "defending the territory and opening up the territory", don't think about opening the territory for the time being, at least hold the territory. Gao Shiyou was defeated by the Southern Army in a row, and if he could repel the Western Army if he returned, Dajin Guo might reconsider the matter of "changing the surname". At the beginning of June, tens of thousands of Li troops rushed back to Taiyuan. But as soon as he arrived at the place of Fangshan in Mengxian County, under the rule of Taiyuan Mansion, he was beaten by Yao Pingzhong, who was ordered by Qu Duan to set up an ambush here, and thousands of people were killed and injured. Finally repelled Yao Pingzhong, and when he advanced to Taiyuan with difficulty, he encountered a Quduan block in Killing Xiongling.

At this time, Li Zhi, knowing that the general trend had gone, drew a sword in the army and wanted to kill himself, and his second son Li Meng forcibly took the saber and volunteered to lead the army to Quduan. Li Meng led 7,000 elite Li troops, and Quduan's Huazhou army fought in Xiongling, this Li Er did have some means, when he was in danger, he raised his sword and shouted, and beheaded several commanders above the head of the Western Army. But Qu Duan is not an ordinary person, seeing that Li Meng is brave and abnormal, and he is in conflict with the chaotic army, no one dares to stop him. Then he shot it with an iron crossbow, and the arrow pierced his left arm, and Li Jun was defeated and retreated.

Li Zhi had no door to the sky and no way to go to the ground, so he had to lead the army to retreat to the White Horse Mountain between the border of Taiyuan Zhending, and set up more than 30 villages to protect himself. Qu Duan didn't pick him up, because he couldn't take care of it.

After Li Zhi attacked Zhendingfu, Gao Shiyu urgently reported to the Kingdom of Jin. The Jurchens were shocked, and at that time, the Jin Emperor Wanyan Wu Qimai had already decided to make Gao the emperor after listening to the opinions of officials who had been bribed by Gao Shiyou. Now Li Zhi suddenly came out, so he ordered Sticky Han to send troops from the clouds to quell the chaos.

Sticky Han was just about to send troops, and was shocked to hear that the western army had entered Hedong, and he was furious! The Southern Dynasty actually dared to take the initiative to provoke and tear up the Jingkang Peace Conference, which made him very annoyed. Then with Wanyan Lousu as the commander, he commanded more than 4,000 cavalry and 13,000 infantry troops, and the troops came to Taiyuan. Lou Su, that is, before Tongguan, defeated Fan Zhixu with 7,000 cavalry and the Western Army of the Five Routes, and after being ordered, he sent his son Wanyan Huonu as the vanguard and took the 2,000 fine cavalry first.

Wanyan Huonu went south from Daizhou, passed through Xinzhou out of Chitang Pass, and approached Taiyuan. Seeing that the Jurchens came so quickly, Qu Duan was not afraid, gathered Yao Pingzhong's troops, and fought with the living girl at Sanjiaokou. Seeing that her infantry was clean, Wanyan Huonu did not dare to underestimate the enemy, so she retreated with a false shot and waited for the main force.

Soon, Wanyan Lousu arrived with a large army. Seeing that the Jurchens were menacing, Qu Duan ordered a retreat to Fenzhou. At this time, Li Zhi heard that the Jurchens were coming to help, so he rose up and joined forces with the Jin army in Taiyuan to prepare for a big battle.

This time, the western army went out of Hedong, and the Shaanxi and Chinese armies were only the vanguard, and He Guan also ordered the two armies of Huanqing and Yanyan to follow up. But these two marshals dragged left and right, and it was not until Li Jin joined forces that they came.

In mid-June, Qu Duan gathered all his subordinate forces, and with the cooperation of Zhang Shen and Wang Ru, he fought a decisive battle with the enemy in Fenzhou. At the beginning, Wanyan Lou Su saw that there was a Hujie military banner in the southern army, and thought that Xu Wei was there, so he was determined to defeat the enemy in front of him at all costs. As soon as the battle began, the "Iron Floating Massacre" was sacrificed. Among the three men of the Song army, except for the Hujie Township Army, the other troops had no experience in fighting the "Tiefutu".

But when they fought against the Dangxiang people in the northwest, they had beaten the "iron harriers" of the Xia army, so they thought that with the power of the divine arm bow, it was enough to shoot these iron bumps with heavy armor. But the "Iron Floating Tu" is above the "Iron Harrier" regardless of horsepower and manpower, although it was traumatized by the divine arm bow, but the degree is not serious.

When the "Iron Floating Massacre" pressed with the momentum of thunder and all the equals, the strong Western Army could not resist it. You must know that when Xu Wei fought against Li Jin's allied forces in Xiaoxi Mountain, he relied not only on strong bows and crossbows, but also on his elite heavy infantry. Quduan ignores just that. The formation was scattered, and after the impact of the "Iron Floating Massacre", before the Song army slowed down the formation, she penetrated the formation with a light enemy, causing the Song army's three-way soldiers and horses to trample on each other, and the casualties were not counted. At this time, Liu Guangshi, the deputy head of the Yanyan army and horses, took the lead in escaping, which directly led to the rout of the three-way western army. Wanyan Huonu waved her army to cover up and kill, and the Song army ambushed the corpse for more than ten miles...... When He Guan heard that the Fenzhou War had been lost, he was anxious. This was his first battle since taking office, so how could he be willing to fail? So Xu Yuan, who wanted to transfer Jingyuan, came to help the war, but at this time, Li Gang, who was very supportive of him before the war, shouted to stop. Shaanxi Sixth Road is his painstaking management and is regarded as the "last line of defense". Now that He Guan has gone out, the three roads have been defeated, and now Xu Yuan from Jingyuan is transferred out, if he fails again, what else can Da Song rely on?