Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 293: Advance on three fronts and head south to capture the dragon!
On the night Zhang Fu was assassinated, the entire Duke of Ying's mansion was in chaos.

When Zhang Guifen rushed over after hearing the news, the imperial guards had already entered the mansion to protect Zhang Fu's safety.

At this moment, Zhang Fu, who was shot by an arrow, was lying on the bed and being treated by the imperial physician.

There was a basin of water placed next to the bed.

Zhang Fu was shirtless as the imperial physician carefully pulled out the arrow for him. During this process, a piercing pain suddenly surged into Zhang Fu's heart, causing him to sweat profusely and unable to help groaning.

The imperial physician frowned deeply as he looked at the black blood that flowed into the basin when the arrow was pulled out.

What he worried about most happened.

If it was just an arrow, there would be no danger. But the scary thing is that the arrowhead was poisoned.

Zhang Fu had been on the battlefield for a long time, with more than 20 to 30 wounds of varying sizes on his body, so he was able to understand his own condition.

He glanced at the imperial physician, his face pale, and said weakly: "Stop the bleeding first, then remove the poison."

outside the house.

Mrs. Zhang was in a panic. Although Zhang Guifen was also extremely worried, she had no choice but to go forward and comfort her mother.

"Mom, father is a lucky man, and he will be fine."

Just as he finished speaking, a servant from the mansion came to report that the Crown Prince and Mr. Fan had arrived.

The mother and daughter did not dare to hesitate at all and went to greet them immediately.

When Crown Prince Zhao Xi saw the two of them, he got straight to the point and said, "No need to be polite. How is Zhang Shuai doing now?"

Mrs. Zhang sighed.

Zhang Guifen frowned, unable to relax.

Seeing this, Zhao Xi gritted his teeth and said, "Send someone to tell Yan Da to catch those damn assassins at all costs!"

Wang Anshi said, "Commander-in-Chief Yan has already gone to investigate. Your Highness, what we should do now is impose martial law throughout the city and prohibit the spread of the news that Marshal Zhang was assassinated. Otherwise, the three armies will be shaken, and our army will have already lost before the battle officially begins."

As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial physician slowly walked out of the room.

Zhao Xi quickly asked, "How?"

The imperial physician bowed and said, "Your Highness, the arrow has been taken out temporarily, but it is poisoned. I don't know what the poison is, so I dare not give it medicine rashly."

poisonous?

Mrs. Zhang's face changed instantly.

Zhao Xi asked hurriedly, "Are you worried about your life?"

The imperial physician shook his head. "From what I can see so far, there is no problem. I have used acupuncture to slow down the spread of the poison."

Acupuncture?

Zhao Xi said in a deep voice: "Call Wang Weiyi!"

Then he rushed into Zhang Fu's room.

But the other person's face was pale and his eyes were sluggish, as if he was about to die.

Zhao Xi hurried forward.

At this time, Mrs. Zhang, Zhang Guifen, Wang Anshi and others followed behind him.

Zhao Xi didn't care about these, but asked anxiously: "Old Marshal, you are now bedridden, and the expedition is imminent. I want to know, besides you, who can be the commander?"

It goes without saying that given Zhang Fu's current condition, he will definitely not be able to be in charge.

Zhang Fu coughed twice, and blood flowed out of his wound again. He looked at Madam Zhang and her daughter who were worried about his condition, and waved his hand and said, "You go out first."

When Mrs. Zhang saw Zhang Fu's appearance, she subconsciously burst into tears and walked out of the room with the support of Zhang Guifen.

After a pause, Zhang Fu looked at the prince, pretending to be looking forward to it, and asked, "Can you please ask the emperor to let my useless student return to the capital to preside over military and national affairs?"

Hearing this, the prince thought about this possibility, but in the end, he shook his head.

Seeing this, Zhang Fu slowly closed his eyes and sighed, "Fuguogong Qin Lie can be a commander."

"Qin Lie." Zhao Xi murmured, bowing and saying, "Old Duke, take good care of yourself and get well soon. In this time of crisis, we need you to step forward."

After saying that, Zhao Xi left Zhang's house.

At this moment, for him, not a single second can be wasted.

Because, the heavy responsibility of the family and the country now rests on his weak shoulders.

After returning to the palace, Yan Da came to report the assassin.
"The group of people who committed the assassination had been lurking in Bianjing for decades. On weekdays, they pretended to be no different from the people of our Great Zhou. Now they suddenly took action. It was obviously planned for a long time. After investigation, they bribed a guard who guarded the Imperial Street."

Decades?
Zhao Xi looked at Yan Da deeply and said earnestly, "First it was Master Wei, then his teacher Zhang Fu. If this gets out, how will the people of our Great Zhou view the court?"

"A dignified Duke was assassinated under the feet of the emperor. Is this all that your Imperial City Department has found out? It's been decades!"

Zhao Xi became more and more angry as he spoke. "Keep investigating. No matter who is involved, kill them!"

Hearing this, Wang Anshi suddenly had a bad feeling.

Although the country needs a strong emperor, it is not appropriate to call for war and killing at every turn.

Although those people deserve to be killed, once Zhao Xi develops a habit
After all, he is still young, and if he becomes a bloodthirsty emperor in the future, I am afraid that many bad things will happen.

"Now the imperial guards from all over the country are being mobilized. Duke Ying was seriously injured after being assassinated and it is difficult for him to lead the army. So, as Duke Ying said, let Qin Lie take the position of commander and fight against the Liao Kingdom."

"As for Xixia, the decision will be made by Duke Kangguo and Zhong Yan."

Having said this, Zhao Xi suddenly felt his body lighten and his head dizzy.

Wang Anshi noticed that something was wrong with him and hurried forward to support him, "Your Highness."

Zhao Xi said, "I have been too sleep deprived these past few days. I will take a nap. Master Wang, you stay by my side. If there is anything urgent, wake me up immediately."

Wang Anshi nodded.

Then, Zhao Xi fell into a deep sleep on the table.

Wang Anshi looked at him and finally sighed: "After all, he is still a child."

If the country had no crown prince and Zhao Zhen was seriously ill, the world would have been in chaos for many times.

While Zhao Zhen was sleeping soundly, Wang Anshi thought about it and finally decided to write a letter to Wei Yuan to inform him of the situation in the capital.

The news of Zhang Fu's assassination was still leaked. After all, it was impossible to keep such a big thing secret even if you wanted to.

As soon as the sun rose, everyone in the capital knew that he had been stabbed and seriously injured. From high-ranking officials to peddlers, everyone was discussing the matter.
"First, the Loyal and Brave Marquis was dismissed, then the Princess of England resigned, the master and his apprentice were assassinated one after another, and the foreign tribes moved south. If there is no conspiracy, who would believe it if I told them?"

"Yes, who would voluntarily resign if they were offered a high position and generous salary? Perhaps there are treacherous officials in the court who want to persecute the Marquis of Zhongyong and the Duke of Yingguo!"

"Perhaps that treacherous minister is planning to join forces with the foreign tribes and march south to usurp the throne!"

"Shut up! Don't say that."

"There must be a traitor in the court. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that the Duke of Ying was assassinated just after he decided to take charge?"

"."

As some rumors spread, the city of Bianjing, which was already shrouded in the shadow of war, became increasingly uneasy.

At this critical moment of the war, the thing that made Zhao Xi and his son and all the civil and military officials most worried and troubled happened.

That is, the country is unstable and the people are in turmoil. Even some soldiers are spreading rumors that cannot be stopped.

Duke Qin Lie of the Fuguo was given the task at a critical moment and had no choice but to lead 300,000 imperial troops to Yanmen.

As for the rest of the troops, it would take at least two or three months of mobilization before they could gradually gather in the capital.

In general, even if Zhang Fu was seriously injured, the officials did not think that the battle would be lost.

If we can’t win, can we not defend it?
October 19th, the seventh year of Jiayou.

After Zhao Zhen learned the news that Zhang Fu had been assassinated, his blood and qi attacked his heart and he fainted again.

Zhao Xi was worried about the turmoil in the imperial court, so he blocked the news about Zhao Zhen. At the same time, he also transferred the Danglu Army to the imperial city to prepare for any eventuality.

At the critical moment, he was still willing to believe in the army left to him by his teacher.
-
At this time, in a spacious room in Taihu Villa, Suzhou.

Wei Yuan slowly unfolded the defense map of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun that Gu Yankai had given him before his death. At the same time, based on his own memory, he made a sand table of the border and a regional map of the border area.

King Wu sat aside, watching him staring at the drawings with a frown on his face, and couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Although Liaoxia is coming with great force, after all, your teacher Zhang Fu is in charge of the capital. Is there any need to worry so much?"

Wei Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes never leaving the map, sometimes looking at Daizhou, sometimes looking at Baoding, muttering:
"According to the news from the Daizhou scouts, Yelu Renxian and Yelu Yixian have both appeared, but Yelu Xinxian is missing. Where is he?"

Upon hearing this, the King of Wu responded, "Didn't they say that Yelu Xin went to Xixia first?"

Wei Yuan frowned, "What are we talking about? It's been two months and we haven't been able to finish it yet? Now that the war has started, Yelu Xinxian shouldn't have disappeared."

In a national war like this, all three Yelu heroes must be present, and none of them can be missing.

But the key point is that even if we don’t collect the funds overnight, we won’t be able to find out what happened to Yelu Xinxian.

"When I was first dismissed from my post, I heard from the spies of the Imperial City Department that they had sent troops to the Zhuozhou area."

"The battle of Daizhou has already begun, and the imperial court's reinforcements will arrive soon. Logically speaking, as long as they can't break through Yanmen, even if they have many means, it will be in vain."

"But I'm still worried in my heart."

At present, within the Liao Kingdom, the only person who can truly command large-scale military operations is Yelu Sanxiong.

They are considered members of the royal family and are loyal to Yelu Hongji, so Yelu Hongji dares to use them.

At this time of national war, no one should be short of talent.

For Zhang Fu, the only opponent in his mind was Yelu Renxian, while Yelu Yixian could barely be considered half an opponent.

As for Yelu Xinxian, he was like a transparent existence.

After all, Yelu Xinxian and Wei Yuan were contemporaries, and it was impossible for Zhang Fu to care about an unknown junior.

However, Wei Yuan had met Yelu Xinxian before and did not dare to underestimate him in the slightest.

"Zhuozhou. Zhuozhou. If I lead the troops in Zhuozhou and a major battle breaks out, should I respond to the Liao soldiers in Shuozhou from a distance, or..."

Wei Yuan has been thinking about this problem.

Zhuozhou is an important city in the Liao Kingdom and must be paid attention to.

Suddenly, Wei Yuan's pupils shrank, and he shouted quickly: "Zhao Yuan! Zhao Yuan!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Zhaoyuan hurried into the room and bowed, "My Lord, what's the matter?"

Wei Yuan said hurriedly: "Quickly send someone to inform the Crown Prince and Minister Wang. I suspect that Daizhou is just a feint. Their real purpose is to attack Bazhou!"

Bazhou was also one of the border towns of the Great Zhou.

For many years, the Liao Kingdom had always wanted to capture Yanmen, a major city because of its great strategic significance.

However, this time, the Liao Kingdom did not want to occupy more land, resources, etc., but was thinking about taking control of the Central Plains!
"Is Daizhou a feint? But didn't Liang Da write to say that there are at least 300,000 Liao cavalry outside Yanmen Pass?"

Lin Zhaoyuan was puzzled.

Wei Yuan said: "Three hundred thousand and three hundred thousand cannot take over the Central Plains. They claim to have a million lions. Even if there are not a million, I am afraid there are more than three hundred thousand!"

Hearing this, Lin Zhaoyuan was instantly frightened and broke out in a cold sweat.

This matter was of great importance, so he did not dare to delay even a bit and immediately sent someone to the capital.

Wei Yuan stood in front of the sand table, frowned and said, "I hope everything is still in time."

At this time, the King of Wu couldn't help but feel a little worried, "Friend Wei, are you worrying too much?"

Wei Yuan said in a deep voice: "As long as Yelu Xinxian doesn't show up, everything is possible."

afternoon.

When Wei Yuan received the letter from Wang Anshi and learned that his teacher had been assassinated, he flew into a rage and said:

"What do those guards in the capital do for a living?"

"A dignified duke, a veteran who has made countless contributions to the country, is being assassinated right under the feet of the emperor?"

"How will history books record this? If anyone tells anyone about it, they will all laugh at it! It's a joke!"

King Wu consoled him, "Calm down, little friend Wei. Didn't Minister Wang say in his letter that your teacher's life is not in danger?"

Wei Yuan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "The Duke of Fuguo Qin Lie is good at commanding the army. Let him lead the troops to fight. His opponent is still Yelu Renxian. He cannot win."

King Wu said: "Even if we can't win, we can still hold on, right?"

Wei Yuan felt bitter in his heart and shook his head, saying, "At this moment, you still don't understand? The war launched by Liao and Xia is not just to gain some benefits, but to divide our Great Zhou!"

"Before, the slogans they raised were to capture Yanmen and take over Daizhou, but this time, they said they were going south to capture the dragon!"

He emphasized the last four words.

To this day, many scholars and officials in the court share the same view as the King of Wu.

The Liao Kingdom would certainly do as usual, fighting for a period of time and then resting for a period of time, and finally nothing would come of it.

But only Wei Yuan and Zhang Fu realized the seriousness of the matter.

For this reason, on the night he was assassinated, he asked Crown Prince Zhao Xi to transfer Wei Yuan back to the capital.

In the seventh year of Jiayou, in early November, Yelu Xinxian led his army to capture Xiongzhou and marched southward. Within three days, he captured Baoding.

The 50,000 Baoding soldiers, known as the Iron Army, were all scattered by the iron hooves of the Liao Kingdom.

At the beginning of the same month, Zhong Yan withdrew his troops from the Helan Mountain area.

Wei Yuan had personally asked for the territory from Xixia, and now he was giving it up again.

It was also at this time that Qin Lie led the vanguard troops all the way to Daizhou to support Yanmen.

In the seventh year of Jiayou, in mid-November, it snowed outside Yanmen Pass. Yelu Renxian ordered Yelu Yixian to continue confronting the Zhou army at Yanmen Pass, while he led 200,000 iron hooves to attack the Ansu area.

This marked the beginning of the Liao army's three-front warfare.

At this point, Wei Yuan finally understood that there was no such thing as a feint attack or a main attack.

The Liao Kingdom advanced on three fronts, all of which were main attacks.

Yelu Xin first wanted to hold back the Zhou Dynasty’s troops that were supporting Daizhou.

To lay the groundwork for Yelu Renxian's journey south.

As for Yelu Xinxian, he burned, killed, looted and committed all kinds of atrocities wherever he went, making the people in the north suffer terribly.

(End of this chapter)