Yanmen has fallen!

There was a deathly silence in the temple.

This is the Ming Xiu plank road darkness Chen Cang! If it weren't for being in the palace, Han Gang would have applauded it. No one could have imagined that the Liao people would abandon Hebei and take Hedong.

And this news that he was sent back to Beijing from Hedong with a gold medal made Empress Xiang dizzy for a while, and she almost fainted behind the screen.

Song Yongchen hurriedly came up to help, his heart was furious, "Sage! It doesn't matter, right? It doesn't matter, right? "If the queen also suffers a stroke, it's all over.

The Zaifu below also panicked, although Queen Xiang didn't care about anything, but after all, she still listened to the government on behalf of the Son of Heaven, in case of an accident, no one could afford this responsibility.

Behind the screen, sit back down with the Empress. In the past two days, I was still excited because the situation in Hebei had not deteriorated and gradually improved, who would have thought that it was a good show deliberately staged by the Liao people. She was in a trance for a long time, and only then did she ask, "Is this matter confirmed?" ”

"The military is a heavy matter, and no one dares to cheat." Wang Anshi said with a cold face.

"Really?" Empress Xiang's voice gradually lowered, and after a while, her spirit was lifted again, "It's good that the city defense in Hedong is not bad, and the soldiers and horses are all experienced." Xiang said to the queen comforting herself, and asked Han Gang again, "Han Qing, but so?" ”

Anyway, Han Gang had been in Hedong for two years before, and he had won a few battles, and there should be a lot of elite soldiers and strong generals on the road. Although Daizhou was defeated, isn't there still Taiyuan?

She looked at the courtiers in the palace, hoping to get the approval of Han Gang and Zaifu.

Han Gang did not answer. Zhang Xuan, Cai Qu and Xue Xiang all had gloomy faces, and they didn't feel relieved. Of the two governments, they are the only ones who have remained in office. has a clear understanding of the series of incidents caused by the Battle of Shengzhou, and they are all witnesses and even participants in what Zhao Ji did in order to suppress Han Gang.

"Your Highness, the Zhizhou and Zhijun in the northeastern border of Hebei have only been replaced in the past two years." Cai Qu sighed and said, "There was no real performance in the old days. ”

Han Gang is in Hedong, because of the more than 20,000 beheadings of the Montenegrin party, Zhao Ji has lost face. The emperor transferred Han Gang back to the capital and served as an idle errand, and the Hedong generals who followed Han Gang also became the targets of anger. Those who have merit are promoted to the idle errand, and those who have no merit are even transferred to the place where the stars are counted.

In particular, Liu Shunqing in Daizhou, Qin Huaixin in Xicheng Village, and other seven or eight generals recommended by Han Gang, without exception, were all transferred to the south - Jinghu and Shuzhong, and Qin Huaixin even died of illness on Kuizhou Road [now Chongqing and Guizhou] last autumn. The generals who took over after that were either from Hebei, Kaifeng, and one from Jiangnan.

"How ......" Xiang Empress was about to ask what was going on, and then came to her senses.

This is certainly not the way to fight!

Even Empress Xiang understood, and was speechless in surprise. According to Cai Qu's statement, the source of today's crisis in Hedong is not someone else, but today's son.

Han Gang glanced at Cai Qu with a little dissatisfaction. At this time, I still play with my heart's eyes. As soon as she said this, it was impossible for the empress to reveal the news of the defeat of Hedong to the emperor. It's just a simple failure, and if you mention it in a sentence or two, maybe you can get some help from the Son of Heaven. But the cause of the current failure is the emperor himself, how can Zhao Ji, who has just gained a little complexion, hear this bad news? I'm afraid I'm going to fall into the abyss again.

However, Han Gang does have grievances in his heart, whether it is Xicheng Village, Yanmen Village, or Yanmen County, where Daizhou Prefecture is located, as long as there is a good general in charge, it will not become the current situation no matter what.

"Yanmen Fortress, Xicheng Village is the front pass, and Yanmen Village is the back pass, and Daizhou City is even more heavily armed. The officers and soldiers are in dangerous places, but they still let the Liao people break through three levels in a row, which is the responsibility of the generals. ”

Zhao Ji transferred the generals recommended and reused by Han Gang away from the front line one after another, in exchange for a group of 'old and stable' people. They completed Zhao Ji's task well, did not provoke border incidents, and cleared Han Gang's influence on the Hedong border. has become today's result, Han Gang naturally will not take this responsibility on himself.

"Is it time to argue whose responsibility it is?!" Wang Anshi said anxiously, "Where are the soldiers and horses of Taiyuan Mansion?!" ”

Xue Xiang immediately replied: "The main force of Taiyuan Mansion has just gone to Hebei, and now it should be to Zhending Mansion." If they were to be recalled, they would have to come back from Jingcheng for at least five days. ”

Taihang Eight Mountains, from north to south, are the military capital, Puyin, Flying Fox, Jing, Fukou, Bai, Taihang and Yiguan.

Among them, the northernmost military capitals and Puyin belong to the Liao State, that is, the famous Juyong and Bauhinia Erguan in later generations are in the hands of the Liao people.

A little to the south, the Flying Fox, the Song and Liao families each live in half. The Liao people are based on its east, Yingzhou, Ulzhou, and the Great Song Dynasty is based on its west, that is, Daizhou. It is bounded by the bottle-shaped village, which is the flat type of the later generations.

As for Yiguan, Taihang and Baicheng, it is the main road connecting Hedong to the Central Plains. As a strategic passage connecting Hebei and Hedong, there are actually only two roads, one north and one south.

From Taiyuan Mansion to Zhending Mansion, the Jing Cheng is the most important road at the moment - this Jing Cheng is where Niangzi Pass is located, but the current name is Chengtian Military Village. The reinforcements sent by Hedong to Hebei were taken this way.

"How are the soldiers and horses of the Lin Mansion?"

"Don't think about the soldiers and horses beyond the river. Since Yanmen Pass has been attacked, and the target of the northern captives is Taiyuan, the Linfu army and the soldiers and horses of Shengzhou will definitely be restrained by the northern captives, and it is impossible to free up too many men and horses to rescue. ”

Xiang Empress panicked, without the reinforcements of Linfu, how could the battle be fought: "This ...... How is this good!? ”

"Taiyuan is not lost, and Hedong is worry-free." Han Gang immediately said, it is not good news that the queen has no master.

Xue Xiang also interfaced: "Hedong's shape is a beautiful place, and the loss of Daizhou is not a disaster. Keep Taiyuan first, and the north captives will not be able to go south. The soldiers and horses who came to the aid solved the enemy in Hebei, and it was not a problem to return to the division to recapture Daizhou. ”

Empress Xiang was surprised: "The soldiers and horses who went to Hebei don't need to be transferred back?!" ”

"Traveling back and forth for hundreds of miles, during which the work was fruitless, and the more than 20,000 soldiers and horses were transferred back and had no strength and morale to fight." Zhang Dian emphasized: "Solving the northern captives in the north of the Kou River is the top priority!" ”

"Can Taiyuan be kept?"

The key node is in Taiyuan. Compared with the sand table, even Queen Xiang, who knows nothing about military affairs, also knows how important Taiyuan is. Taiyuan connects Guanzhong in the southwest, the Central Plains to the south, the Jingcheng Road to the north in the east, and Daizhou in the north.

The geography of Hedong is composed of a series of basins from south to north. Even if Yanmen Pass has fallen now, as long as Taiyuan can hold it, then the situation will not fall into the worst situation. But in case it falls, then

"Your Highness, don't worry. Taiyuan is a strong city in the world, and it will not be so easy to attack. Han Gang said words against his will, comforting the queen.

After the fall of the Northern Han Dynasty, Emperor Taizong burned the Xiongcheng with a radius of 24 miles and a population of hundreds of thousands, and relocated and rebuilt. Today's Taiyuan City, inside is a broken road, there is almost no easy to pass the cross thoroughfare, the construction of the whole city is to prevent later generations of traitors to rebel against the city rebellion, the purpose of defense is to prevent the inside but not the outside. Although due to its geographical location, Taiyuan City is still one of the largest cities in the world, but unfortunately its defense capability may not be comparable to that of an ordinary county town.

Empress Xiang heard the insincerity of Han Gang's words, and sighed weakly, "Wang. Kechen may be able to hold Taiyuan? ”

Everyone was silent. If it is an empty question about whether Taiyuan can be kept, you can still learn from Han Gang's perfunctory, but when it comes to people, no one dares to pack tickets.

The current governor of Taiyuan Mansion is the king. Kechen is also a strategic envoy of Hedong Road. An old courtier in his sixties, just his status is not low, and there is not much to look forward to.

King. Kechen's son Wang Shiyue is a concubine Duwei, and he is still the princess of Xu Guo, but he is the brother-in-law of today's son - Princess Xu Guo was not born to the Empress Dowager Gao, and she is not too valued. But after all, it is still the children of the heavenly family, the king. Kechen's position is extraordinary.

To be able to marry the royal family, it must be from a noble family. King. Kechen's great-ancestor was Wang Xianqi, a famous general at the beginning of the country, who had a meritorious contribution to Taizu. His ancestor Wang Chengyan was the son-in-law of Emperor Taizu, as the king of Emperor Taizu's great-grandson. Kechen is, of course, a standard son of a family. Moreover, he was also admitted to the Jinshi, and he is considered a very outstanding talent among the nobles.

His ability is not bad, when he was in Jingdong, he once woke up in a flood to renovate the river defense in advance and saved the people of the city. It can be said that it is not outstanding, compared to a famous minister, there is still a lot of distance. It's just that as far as the emperor is concerned, he is much more obedient than Han Gang, and his grandfather and son are both concubines, and they have a deep relationship with the heavenly family, and they are more trusted as their own family.

But to talk about the king. Whether Kechen can cope with the situation in front of him, none of the more than a dozen people in the palace are optimistic about him. The government and the opposition will not have the slightest confidence in him. And the responsibility of knowing Taiyuan is not only Taiyuan.

I haven't really led the troops, and there are no good generals under my command, and the reinforcements outside the river are likely to be contained, and the elite soldiers under his command have just been sent to Hebei, and they can't come back for a while—according to Zhang Dun, they can't even be transferred back—the situation in Hedong is already so bad that they want the king. Kechen has the power to return to heaven under such circumstances, which is too demanding. King. Kechen himself, in the 800-mile expedited that was just delivered, attached a request for help, and he could not entrust the safety of Hedong to him at all.

If you want to redeem the current defeat, you have been in the court several times, but there are not many people who have such ability. At the moment, there is only one person in the temple who is most suitable.

Xiang moved her lips to the queen, but she didn't say anything, just looked at the young courtier in the hall who she trusted with the Zaifu.

As far as she is concerned, if the disciple of the Medicine King sits in the capital, her son's health can be guaranteed. It's just that the son is important, but the security of the country is even more important. Moreover, this bad news had to be hidden from the Son of Heaven so as not to aggravate his condition, which determined that the northern captives who entered the east of the Kou River must be solved as soon as possible.

has become the focus of everyone's expectations, Han Gang sighed secretly, he couldn't say, this time he was going to Hedong again.

It's just that in two days, the prince will officially leave the cabinet to study, and even the ceremony has been prepared. If they go to Hedong by themselves and delay like this, Wang Anshi and Cheng Hao will have to take the lead.

These thoughts flashed, but Han Gang still didn't hesitate much, he still knew which was more important. Taking a step forward, Han Gang arched his hand to the queen and said, "Minister Han Gang, I am willing to share your worries for Your Highness!" ”