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

Chapter 298: The First Total War of the Three Kingdoms: The First Victory of the Great Zhou
In the teahouse.

With the appearance of Zhang Guifen, some of the voices discussing the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery Mansion disappeared.

Except for Qi Heng, everyone's eyes were on her.

Although the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery seems a little desolate nowadays, if they really meet Zhang Guifen or Wei Yuan, they can't help but admire and be shocked in their hearts.

Not only them, but even among the people there was a rumor that the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery was once extremely prosperous and represented the utmost glory of Emperor Zhao Zhen's dynasty.

Remarks like these are somewhat "heartbreaking" and "treasonous", but as the saying goes, there is no smoke without fire. The emergence of many voices from the people, reflected in the court, represents something unusual.

At this time, Qi Heng stood up eagerly and greeted Minglan, "Sixth sister, long time no see."

They hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Ever since Wei Yuan was dismissed from his post, Minglan rarely mingled among the children of nobles. Every day, she either accompanied her mother to recuperate, or accompanied her aunt Zhang Guifen to take care of her two younger brothers.

Apart from this, there has been almost no negotiation with any outsiders.

Minglan nodded slightly as a response to Qi Heng.

The latter immediately laughed out loud with joy.

Qi Heng was able to come today because he knew that Minglan would also come when Zhang Guifen hosted a banquet for young men and celebrities.

So Qi Heng asked his mother to get an invitation.

Although the Duke of Qi's Mansion is indeed in decline today, their connections are still there after all.

Zhang Guifen couldn't refuse, so she just let him come.

"Meet Sister Zhang."

"Meet Madam Wei."

"."

As soon as Qi Heng finished speaking, the others stood up one after another and greeted Zhang Guifen.

So what if Wei Yuan was dismissed from his post?
Among them, Zhang Guifen will always be the well-deserved "big sister".

The Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery was desolate, but they just looked desolate.

In fact, in the eyes of those bigwigs in the court, the glory of the Loyal and Brave Marquis' Mansion is far from over.

Among those who greeted enthusiastically, Rong Feiyan stood up, walked to Zhang Guifen, bowed slightly, and said:

"Sister Zhang, why didn't you bring Brother Zhuang and Sister Jing here today? I want to see them."

"Minglan is getting prettier and prettier. Even I feel a little envious when I see her."

Although Rong Feiyan is interested in Qi Heng, she can also see that Qi Heng is interested in Minglan.

However, this so-called marriage, especially among the upper class, has never been about whether a man and a woman really like each other.

But it depends on the family background of both parties.

After all, Minglan is successful because she has the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery behind her.

No matter what happens to that loyal and brave marquis in the future.

But for now, this is definitely the period when the Loyalty and Bravery Marquis' Mansion is at its weakest.

Therefore, Rong Feiyan firmly believed that during this period, she would not necessarily lose if she competed with Sheng Minglan for equality.

Rong Feiyan had no intention of harming anyone. She felt that girls wanted to find a good husband for their own future, so if they wanted to fight for one, they should do it openly.

But she didn't expect that Minglan had never thought of competing with her for the position of Qiheng.

Before Wei Yuan became successful, Minglan's criteria for choosing a spouse might have been more inclined towards men of letters and literary talent.

After all, most of the men around her, such as Sheng Hong and his son, were scholars.

But now, if she really had to choose for herself, she would rather marry a warrior.

After a slight pause.

Zhang Guifen looked around at everyone one by one, and her unique and elegant temperament stood out. She slowly spoke to them:

"Now that the country is in turmoil and the emperor is ill, it is not appropriate for us to be too ostentatious when we gather together. Therefore, today I only invite you to burn incense and drink tea. I hope you can forgive me."

Hearing this, everyone responded immediately.

"Mrs. Wei (Sister Zhang) is so polite."

“The tea here is excellent. I come here often to drink it.”

"I'm used to eating delicacies from land and sea on weekdays, so drinking some tea is really good."

"."

Even though Wei Yuan has been dismissed from his post, and even though Zhang Guifen is not as famous as before after her marriage.

But these people still didn't dare to offend her openly and still had to flatter her.

This is the feeling of oppression brought by Zhang Guifen or Zhang Wei's family.

But when Zhang Guifen heard those voices, she remained calm.

I even felt a little helpless.

Nowadays, even the peddlers and hawkers in the market know how to discuss the current war and which state’s people have been brutally massacred by foreign races.

The children of the noble families in front of her were only thinking about who had a high enough status in the capital and how to curry favor with them.

Even a man like Qi Heng, in his heart, thinks more about his own fame and fortune.

No wonder Du Fu, who was praised as the poet saint in the previous dynasty, once wrote, "The rich have wine and meat, while the poor are frozen to death on the road."

Zhang Guifen could only say this in her heart.

After all, she is also a child of the "rich family".

But perhaps it was because of the different family education she received since childhood, or perhaps it was because the two men closest to her, Wei Yuan and Zhang Fu, were the kind of people who were concerned about the country and the people, and were willing to guard the border for the country without any hard work.

Therefore, in her mind, just because she is the child of a "rich family", she should pay more attention to those "poor bones" who are about to be "frozen to death".
-
Imperial City, in Xuanzheng Hall.

Crown Prince Zhao Xi was looking at the urgent war report that had recently arrived from eight hundred miles away, which was about the situation in Daming Prefecture.

At this moment, the six ministers, Fan Chunren, Han Zhang and other pillars of the country were all sitting in front of Zhao Xi.

After a while, Zhao Xi placed the battle report on the table and asked calmly:

"Everyone, I believe you have all read this battle report. Do you think Qin Zhen can win?"

Can you win?
Who dares to say this?
However, ever since the imperial court decided to send more troops to Damingfu in order to defeat part of the Liao army's main force there, they have been waiting for Damingfu's action.

Now, Qin Zhen took the initiative to attack. If he can win, it will surely boost people's morale.

"Your Highness, let's not discuss victory or defeat for now, but in my opinion, this battle must be fought, and our army must take the initiative to attack, and cannot just passively take the beating."

Han Zhang spoke slowly.

Ever since the Liao Kingdom moved south, the Zhou Kingdom's army has been in a passive situation of being beaten.

Now that the local armies have finally recovered, it is time to take the initiative.

If the battle of Damingfu is successful, we can turn the passive situation into active one and then launch a full-scale counterattack.

"Okay, since you think we have to fight this battle, let Qin Zhen fight with all his might!"

Although Zhao Xi is still young, he may not have witnessed any war with his own eyes.

But no matter what, he is a crown prince who is not afraid of war.

There was a pause.

Yan Da, the commander of the Imperial City Division, spoke slowly, "Your Highness, according to the news from our staff, Marquis Wei, who is far away in the south of the Yangtze River, wrote a letter to General Qin Zhen a few days ago." "The content of the letter is to remind General Qin Zhen that I am afraid of losing the big picture for the small one. In the battle of Daming Prefecture, we should be cautious and not be too radical."

Fan Chunren asked curiously, "What does radical mean?"

Yan Da bowed and said, "Prime Minister Fan, I don't know what radical means. But these are the original words of the Marquis of Wei, and I am just narrating them."

Zhao Xi said excitedly, "Did Master Wei really say that?"

Seeing this, Han Zhang said, "Your Highness, Marquis Wei is not in Daming Prefecture and does not know the situation there. Marquis Wei is strongly opposed to pointing fingers at the battle ahead. Now, he is far away in Jiangnan and not serving in the court, but he is interfering too much in the battle of Daming Prefecture, which is really inappropriate."

He said this because he didn't want Qin Zhen to become hesitant because of Wei Yuan's letter.

This is a major plan for generals.

At this moment, the court’s attitude must be extremely clear, and it must fully support Qin Zhen’s decision.

Otherwise, if there is any war in the future, Wei Yuan will send a letter and the generals will have to listen to his advice. Is this reasonable?

Originally, when Zhao Xi heard that Wei Yuan sent a letter to Qin Zhen, he was a little hesitant.

When it comes to war, he, as the Crown Prince Regent, unconditionally obeys Wei Yuan.

Therefore, an idea came to his mind, which was to let Qin Zhenmo not be anxious.

But after hearing what Han Zhang said, he agreed deeply with it.

"The guards often told me that when the generals were on the march, there were people in the capital who were interfering with the war in front of them, which was not conducive to the generals' operations. The guards wrote to the prince, and I think it was out of good intentions."

"But this also seems to be referring to the war ahead. Perhaps the guard is a little anxious."

Thinking of this, Zhao Xi said seriously: "Tell Qin Zhen to win the first battle at all costs! We must win!"

If Damingfu loses the first battle, it will have unimaginable impact on the overall war of resistance.

After everyone had discussed the matter, a famous imperial censor came to the palace to report that there was suspicion of forming a faction in the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.

After these words were spoken, everyone, including Han Zhang and Zhao Xi, frowned deeply.

When did this happen?

It is no exaggeration to say that the situation is urgent.

Moreover, the Liao and Xia movements southwards, Wei Yuan's dismissal, and Zhang Fu's assassination were all closely linked.

At this time, you still want to target the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?

Zhao Xi summoned the Imperial Censor to the palace and asked, "What mistake did the Marquis of Wei make while he was far away in the south of the Yangtze River?"

The Imperial Censor knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Highness, it's not the Marquis of Wei, it's the Lady of Yanmen County."

The wife of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?
Zhao Xi was almost amused by this. "Tell me, the Lady of Yanmen County is just a woman, how could she form a clique for personal gain?"

The Imperial Censor bowed and said, "The emperor is in poor health and the country is in turmoil. At this critical moment, the Lady of Yanmen County is actually hosting a banquet for the children of nobles in a building. What is her intention? Your Highness, please understand."

Zhao Xi frowned, "You mean, the Lady of Yanmen County is hosting a banquet in the building?"

After a pause, he turned his head and looked at Wang Anshi who was standing beside him, "Master Wang, if you were to form a party and entertain guests, would you do it in a building?"

Wang Anshi shook his head, "I will not form a clique. Even if I am entertaining guests, it is not appropriate to do so in a brothel."

Zhao Xi looked at the censor again, "Where and in which building did you see it?"

The censor said, "Zhao's Tea Shop."

Tea shop?

Zhao Xi couldn't help but roll his eyes. "If you want to form a clique, you should just invite them for tea? If the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion really had the suspicion of forming a clique, they should have chosen to do it in the Marquis's Mansion. Could it be that the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion can't even accommodate a few guests?"

The censor was stunned and hesitated for a while before he said, "But now is wartime, and the emperor is in poor health."

Zhao Xi was extremely dissatisfied, "Don't you want to eat? Don't you want to drink? Lady Yanmen County just invited some people to drink tea, why are you so idle and have nothing to do?"

The censor was confused.

At this point, the court still doesn't want to use Wei Yuan. Doesn't it want to deal with him?

Isn't it a good thing for the court that I am taking advantage of the situation to report to the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?

How can you blame me?
Zhao Xi didn't even want to look at him, "Go away."

After the censor left Xuanzheng Hall, he issued another order:
"From today on, as long as Liao and Xia do not withdraw their troops, no imperial censors will be allowed to investigate the generals leading the troops in battle!"

"I am too young to lead the expedition to Liao and Xia in person, but I absolutely do not want the soldiers at the front to fight for the country while some people in the rear are ignorant of the situation!"
-
February 27th, the eighth year of Jiayou.

Daming Mansion.

Qin Zhen led an army of 300,000 to raid the Liao army camp.

Although Yelu Xinxian had been prepared, he still suffered heavy losses when facing the attack of the Great Zhou army.

The many castles that were painstakingly built in Daming Prefecture were all destroyed by the Great Zhou army.

In this battle, the Liao army suffered 30,000 casualties, while the Great Zhou suffered more than 10,000 casualties. It was the most advantageous battle fought by the Great Zhou army since the outbreak of the first full-scale war among the Three Kingdoms.

This battle greatly boosted the morale of the Great Zhou army.

Just as the Liao army retreated a hundred miles, the Zhou army was cleaning up the battlefield and collecting arrows, weapons and corpses.

Qin Zhen has been discussing the next plan with many generals.

Some people say that at this moment, we should make a concerted effort to completely annihilate Yelu Xinxian's main force.

Others said that Yelu Xinxian's troops should be completely annihilated and not given any chance to breathe.

However, in the eyes of everyone, Qin Zhen, who acted extremely radically, announced that he would stay in place and closely watch the Liao army's every move.

There is no plan to launch a large-scale annihilation campaign against the Liao army in the short term.

Many generals were puzzled by this.
"Qin Shuai, we have clearly won the battle, why don't we pursue the victory?"

"If this gets out, people will think we've lost the battle!"

"Yes, the most important thing for a military strategist is to avoid being weak twice and exhausted three times. If we don't pursue the enemy now, we will probably miss the opportunity."

"."

Hearing this, Qin Zhen smiled and said, "Generals, didn't you advise me not to be radical before? Why don't you advise me now?"

A soldier clasped his fists and said, "General Qin, this is a different time now!"

Qin Zhen suddenly took out Wei Yuan's letter and said, "I know that many of you were promoted by the Duke of England."

"You all know very well that both the Duke of England and the Marquis of Wei are very good at guessing hostility."

"The Marquis of Wei said that Yelu Xinxian was steady in battle, and that was definitely not an empty statement."

"What we can think of, how could Yelu Xinxian not think of it? You should understand the principle of not pursuing an enemy who is desperate better than me."

"Before, I decided to surprise attack the Liao army because you couldn't think of it, and Yelu Xinxian couldn't think of it even more."

"But after this, Yelu Xinxian will definitely think that I am eager to succeed and will definitely pursue us. Therefore, it is right to rest and recuperate at this moment, keep the troops still, and wait for the main army to reunite."

His goal has been achieved, which was to make a big splash.

If we win this battle, he will always have a place among the military generals in the future.

It is true that expanding the results of the war means expanding the merits, but the cost of doing so is too high and there are many unknown risks.

If that is the case, why pursue the enemy?
Qin Zhen believed that the next things would be much simpler, as long as there were no mistakes, it would be a success.

After everyone left the tent, he continued to look at the letter Wei Yuan had written to him, muttering:
"Brother Wei, after all, the success of this battle is thanks to you."

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't dare to use a surprise attack. It is indeed effective to win by surprise, but it only works once."

(End of this chapter)