[This is yesterday's portion, and today's one shift will be tomorrow morning.] 】

Since the sour jujube restarted, Han Gang left the team and hurried towards Taiyuan with more than a dozen companions.

All the way through the state and county, and the road is parallel, the sunrise is the line, and the sunset does not stop. Six days after departure, they arrived at the territory of Tongba County [now Qin County] of the Weisheng Army, and there were only two days left to leave Taiyuan.

It's just that they are getting closer and closer to Taiyuan, the destination of the trip, but the mood of Han Gang and his party is getting heavier and heavier. More and more messengers are coming from the north, and the information from them is becoming more and more critical.

Especially the king of Taiyuan Province. Kechen, he was a letter asking for help a day, and flew to the capital like snowflakes. Due to the fact that the military used too many soldiers, the horses were all replaced, and no matter how anxious the road was, the time to arrive at the Weisheng Army was one day longer than what Han Gang had planned.

Moreover, according to the latest military information, the Liao army has occupied Xinzhou, and there are still a few walled cities in the state that have not fallen, and there is no definite news from the official army scouts who were blocked on the Shiling Pass. It's just that logically speaking, Xiurong County, where Xinzhou Prefecture is located, should not fall so simply.

Calculating the time, Han Xin is on his way to Xinzhou, and if he encounters the Liao army, he may be difficult to get out. This made Han Gang very worried about him. The military situation in Hedong deteriorated too quickly for Han Gang to be taken by surprise.

The current movement of the Liao army is becoming more and more threatening to Taiyuan, and it is reported that the Liao army has gathered heavy troops under the Shiling Pass, although the Shiling Pass is a dangerous pass, but it is not impossible to be breached.

"Pivotal. But worried about Taiyuan? ”

Huang Shang was left behind by Han Gang, and now the staff who is following Han Gang is Tian Yu and one of the authors of the Qi Science Three Character Sutra. Tian Zhen also had some experience in observing words and expressions, and when he saw Han Gang's heavy face, he knew that Lu Dao must be thinking about Hedong again.

"I'm worried, after this battle, the people of Hedong don't know where the rations for this year are?" Han Gang sighed softly, "This year and next year, there may be a big incident in Hedong." ”

Although Fang Cai didn't think about this matter, but the commander is the courage of an army, Han Gang didn't want to show his worries about the battle situation in front of his subordinates, and would rather gossip about people's livelihood.

It's already spring, flowers are blooming everywhere in the wild, and farmers can be seen busy in the fields under the official road. In the twilight, many farmers carrying hoes and driving cattle and sheep home, still peaceful. Think about the land north of Taiyuan, which has fallen, and the people there have not had time to flee, how can they still have the heart to take care of their own fields.

"As long as Daizhou can be recovered in time, it is possible to replant, and the imperial court will definitely give relief. For money and grain this year and next, as long as the cardinal deputy applies for it, the imperial court has no reason to refuse it. ”

Seeing Tian Yu thinking about how to avoid the loss of food shortage in Hedong, Han Gang smiled slightly, but immediately sank his face again. In fact, what worries him the most now is not the rations of the people of Hedong in the second half of the year, nor Shiling Pass, but Chitang Pass.

After Song Taizong seized Taiyuan, he set his sights on the north. When he was about to go north, he was blocked by Shiling Pass. The official army attacked the city several times without success, and Song Taizong built the plank road to secretly cross Chencang, and attacked Shiling Pass openly, but the elite sneaked to the west and captured Chitang Pass in one fell swoop.

Similarly, there is no difference between Chitang Pass and Shiling Pass in this regard, and capturing any of them means that the road to the south or north has been opened. However, as a pass, the defense level of Chitang Pass is far inferior to that of Shiling Pass. From the naturally generated geographical conditions to the artificially built city defenses, there is more than a step behind.

If the Liao people learn from the wisdom of Taizong Zhao Guangyi and seize Chitang Pass, the situation will become extremely bad, and it may even be irreparable. Fortunately, the Liao people are not good at attacking cities after all, and I don't think things will develop to the worst.

Putting his worries aside, Han Gang hit his horse and went straight. When the group arrived at Tonglu County, which was governed by Weisheng Army, it was getting late and the city gate had been closed.

One of the companions shouted up. Seeing that the Han family's companion just shouted twice under the city, and sent the identity credentials up, the city gate was opened. Tian Yu muttered a little: "The defense is not very tight." ”

"That's when the messenger has already been sent. Along the way, the state and county have long known that I will pass through here. ”

The cities I had passed through before had all happened to pass during the day, and there was no obstacle when entering the city. But in a city under curfew, it may not be the same. But the reality is two different things. Tian Yan thought that there would be some twists and turns, but when he saw that the city gate officials had run out of the city, he was startled.

Han Gang was in too much of a hurry when he left Beijing, and there was a shortage of people around him, so the entire shelf of the envoy was not set up. Huang Shang is behind with the team, and there is only one Tian Yu by his side, and he has been following him for a long time.

Because of Han Gang's recommendation, Tian Yu got an official position. However, he is not a liunei official, but a teaching assistant in Shangzhou, who has a good fortune and no grade. Although Tian Yu is only good at literature, he can change to the curtain of the envoy, make a clerical work, and take care of the omnivorous food at hand, Tian Yu will not be unable to do these little things.

And the situation is different in Taiyuan, Han Gang has many protégés in Taiyuan. And Wang, it is impossible for Kechen to purge the entire yamen after all, and it is not a problem to seconded a few familiar subordinates.

"The Zhijun and the Zhixian have been ordered to come down, as long as the Xianggong arrives, they will be notified immediately." The prison officer was attentive and respectful, bent down and bowed his head, leading the horse for Han Gang.

Han Gang didn't gossip much with the prison officer, and directly let the horse enter the city.

Compared with the relatively relaxed countryside, the atmosphere in the city is much more tense before the battle. On the official road, the merchants I saw along the way were less than 30% of those in previous years, and in the city, the ordinary people who were still on the street were also smiling. In the restaurants and tea shops on both sides of the street, under the illumination of the lights, many people gather together to whisper, but there is less silk and bamboo to play and sing.

It was getting late, and Han Gang quickly rested in the post house in the city, and officials of all sizes who got the news came to pay their respects. Han Gang went out to meet them, said a few more words, and asked them to calm people's hearts and prepare money and food. There were not many garrisons in the Wasion Army, and with the assistance sent by Hedong before, Han Gang only asked to prepare food, grass and ordnance. Of course, city defense is the most important.

Although he has to get up early tomorrow and has no time to delay, Han Gang must get the support of the state and county in order to make the system, and he can't help but spend a little more time for this.

After greeting and admonishing, and sending off a group of officials, Han Gang hurriedly went to bed to rest. It's just that he hasn't slept for half an hour, and there is a noise outside. Han Gang has always had a good temper, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the gas to get up. He sat down in the living room with a straight face, and led the guests in.

The governors, general judges, judges, magistrates, and military officers in the state, and the county magistrates, county lieutenants, and chief bookkeepers in the county are all crowded into small halls.

Seeing the look on their faces, Han Gang was completely sober, the situation was not right. The Zhijun of the Wasion Army was now in a trance, as if he was in a nightmare and couldn't wake up, and even tripped on the threshold when he entered the door, almost falling headlong.

"What's wrong? Something happened. Han Gang had a bad premonition in his heart.

Wasion Zhijun seemed to have forgotten the words, opened his mouth, and couldn't pour out a word.

"Pivotal!" Tian Yan's voice was hoarse, and he spoke for him on the side, "The Liao people have broken through the Shiling Pass!" ”

There was silence in the hall, and even Han Gang's entourage stopped moving, as if frozen. How is this possible? That's the gateway to Taiyuan!

Han Gang didn't get angry, and even for a moment, he felt that this news was really ridiculous, "How did the Liao people do it?!" ”

Han Gang toured all the military states in Hedong that year, and he also passed through the northern gateway of Taiyuan several times. Han Gang can be 100% sure that among the two passes, the city defense system of Shiling Pass is more complete than that of Chitang Pass, and it is also more difficult to break. It doesn't make sense, Shiling Pass is broken, and Chitang Pass is safe and sound.

No one can answer this question. After a long time, Weisheng Zhijun whispered: "Shiling Pass belongs to Xinzhou, and Chitang Pass belongs to Taiyuan. ”

Han Gang couldn't believe Wang. Kechen would not take it to heart because Shiling Pass belonged to Xinzhou, and he shouted in a low voice: "Wang. Kechen is the east of the river! ”

Weisheng Zhijun hurriedly changed his words: "The lower official is just a guess, a guess." ”

"It may be that the army is ruined." The general judge dared to say, "After returning to Beijing from the deputy cardinal, the newcomer Wang Jingluo left the bachelor's school one by one, and only used a group of incompetent people. All of a sudden, it's all exposed. ”

King. Kechen lost half of the east wall of the river during his tenure as a pacification envoy, and even if he was the in-law of Emperor Yingzong, he could not escape the responsibility. This sin can be borne by him for the rest of his life.

Han Gang is in Hedong, he has been training in his free time, and the rewards have not stopped, and he has also promoted several talented young military schools, and the army in the northeast of Hedong is first-class in battle, and there is no need for Han Gang to have too much heart, everything is according to plan. But the king changed. After Kechen took office, the situation changed.

In all fairness, when it comes to military intentions, Wang. Kechen is not inferior to Han Gang, and even surpasses it. Han Gang also heard about it in the capital. Every time there is a school parade, the treasury must be opened, from the school reward to the Baojia township soldiers who participate in the school parade, but his lack of military experience and common sense has made military training a performance, and the more he can act, the more rewards he gets. Plus Wang. Kechen's own tendencies also made those generals who were reused in the Hangang era squeezed out, and it was difficult to have the opportunity to display their talents.

Perhaps these issues, over time, will be re-established. At that time, the chaos in the army could also be quelled, but it is a pity that the Liao people did not give them this time.

Han Gang is still two days away from Taiyuan, but it will be difficult for him to cross the last two hundred miles in the case of the Liao army's breakthrough.

Is it a risky move? It's still steady.

A decision has to be made.