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

Chapter 301 Let's see who can turn the tide

Above the court hall.

All officials believed that transferring troops from the south was a solution.

After all, at this moment, the entire northern army is in the midst of war.

Which army can withdraw to provide support?
But, can Xie Wu in Handan resist the invasion of the Liao army?

If he fails and the troops from Jiangnan have not arrived, what should Bianliang do?
Even if the southern army arrived, who would lead them? Who could defeat Yelu Renxian?

When all the officials thought of this, they all frowned.

Today, the Great Zhou is facing an embarrassing situation.

The veteran generals are either dead or too old to take on major responsibilities.

But among the younger generation of generals, there are only about five of them, and now, they are unable to lead troops for various reasons.

Besides, among the young generals, except for the one far away in Jiangnan, who can fight with Yelu Renxian?
Qin Zhen? He couldn't do that. Although he won the first battle, everyone knew that he could only fight Yelu Xinxian 50-50 at best.

etc.
The one from Jiangnan?!
Some officials smiled brightly when they thought of this.

Yes, if the court is willing to employ the one from Jiangnan, then can these current problems still be called problems?
just
Will the court be willing to use it?
Just as they were thinking about whether to submit a petition to the court to appoint Wei Yuan as commander, the voice of Crown Prince Zhao Xi rang in their ears again.
“Since we have decided to recruit troops from Jiangnan, we need a commander.”

"This palace has decided to appoint Wei Yuan as the commander-in-chief of the Hebei Road Army."

When these words came out, all the officials were suddenly enlightened, and then immediately started to discuss it. At the same time, some words that could not be said out loud were also thought out in their hearts.
"The Crown Prince appointed Wei Yuan as the commander-in-chief of the march. Is this the emperor's intention?"

"Does the emperor want to re-employ the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?"

"This is a good thing!"

"Yes!"

"."

They are not fools.

At this moment, only Wei Yuan stood up and was able to resist Yelu Renxian's attack.

If it were someone else, I'm afraid it would be a little bit different.

Under normal circumstances, Zhao Xi would have re-employed Wei Yuan for no reason, and without Zhao Zhen's intention.

Then, all the officials will definitely disagree.

After all, the civil and military factions are somewhat contradictory in themselves.

Wei Yuan is the pillar of the martial arts faction. His absence from the capital is beneficial to the scholars and officials.

But things are different now.

Someone was needed to fight hard and go to the front line, so these scholars and officials all thought of Wei Yuan.

It would be fine if Wei Yuan won, but if he lost, at least they wouldn't be the ones to take the blame.

History books will not record the faults of these civil officials.

When war breaks out, the military generals are asked to fight to the death; when peace comes, their status is repeatedly belittled.

This is a tactic commonly used by the civil officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Of course, it is gratifying that Zhao Xi, who is about to sit on the throne, is not an emperor who likes "civil officials" too much.

Among the future young generation of civil leaders, such as Wang Anshi and others, they cannot be said to be disgusted with military generals, and there is a tendency to treat them equally.

Generally speaking, as long as the Great Zhou can survive this difficult time, a prosperous situation will always emerge.

Now, after a brief heated discussion, the civil and military officials bowed one after another and said:
"I support the appointment of Marquis Wei as commander!"

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

"."

When the word "seconding" was uttered, not only Zhao Xi breathed a sigh of relief, but even those officials who uttered those two words breathed a sigh of relief.

Anyway, finally someone who can hold the place together is back.

At this moment, Zhu Zongguan suddenly came to Zhao Xi's side, bowed his head and bent down, and said softly: "Your Highness, the Emperor has woken up and said he wants to see you immediately."

Ok?
Is the father awake?
Why can't he wake up at any other time? Why does he have to wake up after he activates Wei Yuan?
If the emperor knew about this
Zhao Xi frowned secretly.

After a brief thought, he simply made up his mind.

Whether for the sake of the country or the current situation, Wei Yuan should return to Beijing!

Although I am young, my father is already old!

"Order Wei Yuan to serve as the Marching Commander of Hebei Route and this position cannot be changed."

"Tell him to gather 300,000 troops in the Jiangnan area and march north in the shortest possible time!"

"The Ministry of Revenue and all departments must raise money and grain at all costs!"

Having said that, Zhao Xi slowly stood up and followed Manager Zhu back to Zhao Zhen's bedroom.

On the way, Zhao Xi asked, "Manager Zhu, did my father say anything after he woke up?"

Zhu Zongguan bowed and said, "Please forgive me, Your Highness. I was in the court hall just now, not in Your Majesty's bedroom."

"But I heard from the servants who serve His Majesty that His Majesty has just woken up and wants to summon you."

Zhao Xi nodded thoughtfully.

As soon as he entered the bedroom, Zhao Xi saw several maids serving Zhao Zhen a bowl of sweet soup.

Zhao Zhen, now bedridden for many years, has become so thin that his body is just flesh and bones. Not only is there no blood on his face, but he looks like a living dead.

Whenever he saw this, Zhao Xi swore in his heart that if one day he became emperor and became as sickly and frail as this in his later years, he might as well end his life!
As long as you are an emperor, you must maintain the dignity of an emperor.

His own father, the emperor, had been the holy ruler for forty years, but in his later years, all his majesty was gone.

Zhao Xi would rather not have such an emperor and such a life!
"Father, your son is here!"

Zhao Xi walked forward and knelt beside the dragon couch.

Zhao Zhen narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhao Xi, then waved to the maids around him.

Then, he spoke slowly in an extremely weak voice:

"I already know what you said in the palace."

"I never thought that the current situation would become so serious."

He remembered that the last time he knew about the war, both sides were still in a stalemate.

How come everything has changed now?
The Liao army was almost reaching Bianjing.
"It is my incompetence that has caused my father to worry!"

Zhao Xi lowered his head, feeling ashamed.

Zhao Zhen shook his head hard, took a few deep breaths, and then spoke again:

"How can I blame you? It was me who didn't let you use Wei Yuan. I know you are a good and filial child."

"You asked Wei Yuan to go to the north and south of the Yangtze River to support the king. This is very good."

"I have something I want to say to you, but I'm afraid if I don't say it now, I won't have the chance anymore."

Zhao Xi suddenly raised his head, tears already appeared in his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Father, I am all ears!"

Zhao Zhen pursed his lips and waved at him, motioning him to come closer.

Zhao Xi came to the dragon couch.

Zhao Zhen stretched out his arm firmly and gently wiped away the tears from Zhao Xi's left eye. As for the right eye, he really didn't have the strength to do it.
"My son, I'm sorry for your hardship. You are still so young, and you have to help your father clean up this mess. Your father is powerless to do anything."

Zhao Zhen emphasized the last four words.

The Holy Lord of forty years, until his old age, actually uttered the four words "powerless".

How despair would it make people feel when the most powerful person in the world says the words "I can't do anything"?

"Father."

Zhao Xi firmly grasped Zhao Zhen's large but shriveled hand and said tearfully:

"Father, you have done enough for me."

"Your son, your son does not want you to die."

As he was talking, the future emperor actually lay on Zhao Zhen's dragon couch and burst into tears, totally disregarding the dignity of a crown prince.

At this moment, he really looked like a child under ten years old in front of Zhao Zhen.

Since the invasion of Liao and Xia, many matters have been carried on the fragile shoulders of this child.

How could he not feel tired? How could he not feel threatened? How could he not feel stressed?

Now, at this moment, all the complicated emotions finally burst out like a flood.

Zhao Zhen looked at his son intently.

A feeling of grief welled up in my heart.

If I could live a few more years.
If Liaoxia had not invaded.
If I hadn't left such a mess for my son
如果
There is no need to let this child, who is less than ten years old, bear all the consequences.
Zhao Zhen's lips trembled as he gently stroked the back of Zhao Xi's head.

The father and son were speechless for a moment.

After a long while, Zhao Zhen slowly uttered a sentence.
"Cry, cry"

"If you don't cry now, you won't have the chance to cry anymore."

Zhao Xi raised his head and looked at Zhao Zhen while choking with sobs.

The latter continued to say earnestly:

"In the future, you will be the emperor. The emperor cannot cry, let alone shed tears. You must be strong and don't let others think that the emperor is just like an ordinary person."

Zhao Xi nodded firmly and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeves.

Now, Zhao Zhen didn't even have the strength to cough.

He had never been as weak as he was today.

"If you ascend the throne, your mother will definitely interfere in government affairs. You are a child with your own ideas. Don't do anything shameful. Be nice to your mother."

Zhao Zhen said weakly.

He never worried that his wife, the queen of the Great Zhou Dynasty, would take away Zhao Xi's power.

He was only worried that Zhao Xi would harm Queen Cao in his attempt to seize power.

He believed in his son.

Neither Wei Yuan nor Wang Anshi, nor anyone else in the future, can take power away from Zhao Xi.

"Fortunately, you are still young, otherwise, your father would not be able to rest assured that you would use Wei Yuan."

"Promise me one thing for you, Father."

"If your health is not good, you will die before Wei and Wang."

"You must execute these two people before they die!"

Zhao Zhen used all his strength to say the word "execution".

Zhao Xi was struck by lightning and said in confusion: "Father, I can understand the execution of Marquis Wei. After all, Marquis Wei has a very high prestige in the army."

"Your Majesty, you don't need to tell me that I will not leave a powerful minister to future kings."

"But Wang Anshi is just a scholar, what is there to be afraid of?"

Zhao Zhen said: "In my eyes, the person I am most worried about is not Wei Qing."

"From now on, Wei Qing is very loyal to you and the Great Zhou royal family. Most importantly, he has needs, fears, and people he cares about. This is his weakness."

"As long as people have weaknesses, they can be easily controlled, but Wang Anshi is different."

"He has no needs, and can abandon his family at the critical moment. What he seeks is eternal fame. What he loves is not the Zhao royal family, but the vast territory of the Great Zhou."

"When you were here, he wouldn't dare to do anything. If you were gone, would he become a powerful official? Would he rely on his own prestige and power to make unscrupulous reforms?"

“We must be on guard.”

Hearing this, Zhao Xi understood instantly.

Wei Yuan has someone he cares about, and this is his weakness.

Wang Anshi wanted eternal fame, and for this goal he could give up everything.

If Zhao Xi was gone, what could Wang Anshi not do for the sake of reform?
If the reform succeeds, it will be fine. But if it fails, I am afraid that the country will not be able to rule the country.

Moreover, people’s hearts are fickle.

"Father, I understand."

At this point, Zhao Xi burst into laughter and said, "Father, I am still so young. Even if I have to endure, I can outlast them both."

Zhao Zhen nodded, "As a father, I naturally hope that my son can live a long life."

Then, he felt tired, closed his eyes again, and only murmured:
"When Wei Qing arrives in Beijing, have him come to see me immediately."

"I want to take another look at him, at my good Wei Qing."

For Zhao Zhen, meeting Wei Yuan in his later years was a gift from heaven.

Once upon a time, God took away the title of Duke Wuxiang from him, and gave him the title of Marquis Zhongyong. He thought that God had treated him well.

Unfortunately, I can’t hold on any longer.
-
On that day, an urgent imperial edict was sent to Jiangnan over a distance of 800 miles.

March 15th, the eighth year of Jiayou.

Wei Yuan received an imperial edict at the Taihu Villa, ordering him to raise an army of 300,000 from Jiangnan, Guangnan and Fujian to march north to defend the king.

At this time, in Taihu Villa.

Lin Zhaoyuan and Chen Daniu spoke one after another:

"My Lord, I will go to Fujian and gather a large army in the shortest possible time to advance to the north and meet you there."

"Damn it, I've finally waited for this day. I've long wanted to meet the so-called elite of the Liao Kingdom!"

"."

Just now, Wei Yuan discussed with them.

Now, Jiangnan can send out 100,000 soldiers.

As for Fujian Road, Guangnan Road and other routes, they are too far away from Jiangnan.

If we wait until the 300,000 troops are fully mobilized, it will be too late.

Therefore, we can’t delay any longer.

Wei Yuan first led 100,000 soldiers from the south of the Yangtze River to advance into the north, and the rest of the troops were left to Chen Daniu and others to raise.

"There is no time to lose, Zhao Yuan, Daniu, listen to my orders."

Wei Yuan suddenly spoke.

The two of them clasped their fists together and said, "General Wei, please give the order!"

Wei Yuan said in a deep voice: "Lin Zhaoyuan, I will leave the matter of recruiting soldiers from both routes to you."

"Chen Daniu, immediately gather the garrison troops in the south of the Yangtze River and set out tomorrow to head north to defend the king!"

Chen Daniu laughed and said, "Yes, sir!"

"Brother really understands me. Damn it, this time, I must personally see Yelu Ren off to his final resting place!"

He was afraid that Wei Yuan would take Lin Zhaoyuan away and leave him in the south to gather troops.

If that were the case, I'm afraid Chen Daniu would go crazy.

Wei Yuan glared at him fiercely and said, "How many times have I told you that when leading troops into battle, you must refer to your position!"

Chen Daniu's face was solemn, "Yes!"

Wei Yuan patted his shoulder and said earnestly: "Don't worry, you have to fight this battle."

Then, he looked at the regional map, his eyes fixed on the direction of Bianjing City, and murmured:
"Mr. Yelu Renxian, I have long wanted to fight you squarely."

It’s not that Wei Yuan had never fought with Yelu Renxian before, but that time, Yelu Renxian’s opponent was Zhang Fu, not him.

This time, Wei Yuan faced Yelu Renxian as the head coach.

Soldiers face soldiers, generals face generals, let's see who can hold the key and change the fate of the world.

(End of this chapter)