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

Chapter 323: Wanhu Hou——Champion!
Wei Yuan had just undergone bone scraping and poison treatment, how could he fight with others?

He said this to reassure the troops.

The guys from Daizhou also cooperated with Wei Yuan. No one said that they wanted to compete with Wei Yuan at this time.

"General Wei, you are a martial arts master, well-known both in our army and on the outlaws' path. How dare I fight you?"

"I still remember the last time I competed with Commander Wei in arm strength. I couldn't lift my arm for three days. I was scared."

"General Wei is extremely brave, like a king in the world. I dare not compete with you."

"."

At this time, Shen Qing was standing behind Wei Yuan, looking at everyone with a gloomy face.

It was as if to say, whoever dares to challenge General Wei at this time will not have to report to the camp tomorrow.

Wei Yuan laughed loudly and said, "Tell all the generals that I am fine now. Let the army rest for two days, and then we will march to Linzhang immediately!"

The generals said "yes" and then retreated.

After calming the troops' morale, Wei Yuan sat back on the bed. His face turned pale again, beads of sweat gathered on his forehead, and he looked extremely weak.

The doctor quickly checked Wei Yuan's pulse and said earnestly:
"General Wei, even though your energy and blood are much stronger than those of ordinary people, you can't move around right after scraping the bone. Once your energy is damaged, it will be hard to replenish it."

Wei Yuan nodded, "Isn't your nephew here? With her serving me, I'll be fine."

The doctor sighed, shook his head and said no more.

Not long after, the doctor and his 'nephew' left temporarily, not daring to disturb Wei Yuan's rest any further.

Later, he told Shen Qing,

"Yelu Xinxian will surely lose this battle. On the way to the south, Xu Changzhi has set up a trap for him. He will only seek death if he goes there. But the worst thing is that he will go north and join forces with Yelu Renxian."

"Order Qin Zhen to lead 60,000 men out of Daming Prefecture and head north to Cheng'an. If we encounter the Liao army, we must stop them at all costs."

Shen Qing clasped his fists and stepped back.

Wei Yuan ordered someone to call Zhou Tong over and asked, "When I was guarding the banner, you were always by my side?"

The latter knelt on one knee and said: "I believe that you and the great banner are related to the overall success or failure, so I will stay by your side."

Wei Yuan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I am the commander in chief, and kneeling is not customary in the camp. Stand up and talk."

"Yes." Zhou Tong stood up slowly without being humble or arrogant.

Wei Yuan looked at the burly soldier with youthful vigor and couldn't help but think of the time when he first joined the army.

Similarly, he was appreciated by Zhang Fu for his bravery in several battles and became the direct disciple of Duke Yingguo.

Presumably, at that time, Zhang Fu did not accept generals from his lineage as disciples because he also considered weighing the pros and cons of certain factions in the army?
"You joined the army at the age of thirteen. You are younger than I was when I joined the army."

Wei Yuan joined the army at the age of fifteen, two years older than Zhou Tong.

If I accept Zhou Tong as my apprentice, then this boy will have a bright future.

Zhou Tong clasped his fists and said, "General Wei gave up his pen to join the army because of Duke Wu Xiang, and fought bravely for the country. I am far from being able to compare with him."

After hearing this, Wei Yuan couldn't help but smile.

This boy is exactly the same as I used to be. His skill of flattery has reached perfection.

But then again, isn’t this also a kind of inheritance?

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Would you like to be my disciple?"

Hearing the voice, Zhou Tong froze in place, looking quite surprised.

Wei Yuan looked at him, waiting for his response.

After a long while, he knelt down on both knees and said solemnly: "I am willing to follow the commander until death in this life."

Wei Yuan nodded and said, "During the expedition, all customs and etiquette are exempted. From now on, you can call me teacher."

Zhou Tong kowtowed heavily, "Yes, teacher, I will remember this."

Perhaps even Wei Yuan did not expect that many years later, Zhou Tong would accept a disciple named Yue Fei.

Or perhaps Wei Yuan had already thought of Zhou Tong's identity in history, but it was too long ago and some memories had faded.

At the end of Emperor Zhenzong of Zhou Dynasty, Zhang Fu became a disciple of Duke Hanguo and became the first in military honors.

Wei Yuan became Zhang Fu's apprentice and became the leader among the young military commanders of the day.

Now Zhou Tong becomes Wei Yuan's apprentice, just like in the past. I wonder what kind of storm he will stir up in the future.

Of course, there can only be one Wei Yuan in this world.

No one can replicate Wei Yuan's career and growth process.

The current emperor is not Renzong.

Wei Yuan met the best emperor and grew up in the best era, but it is difficult to find a person like him in many years.

He had everything, including the right time, the right place and the right people. However, when you open the thick history books, you will find that the word "regret" is revealed between many lines.

Yue Fei did not meet an emperor like Adou, and Yu Qian, who saved the people but could not save himself.
The reason why these big shots have regrets is that no matter the time, place or people, they cannot compare with Wei Yuan.

In the entire Great Zhou, it is enough to have one general like Wei Yuan, and there cannot be a second one.

The next day, evening.

The doctor who scraped Wei Yuan's bones, 'Junior Nephew', was carefully changing the dressing for him.

"My Lord, my uncle said that the medicine on your arm should be changed every day, otherwise the wound will ooze pus, which will be bad."

Wei Yuan nodded.

When she changed the medicine and was about to leave, Wei Yuan suddenly stopped her and asked:
"Your uncle insisted on keeping you by my side. What was his purpose?"

She was suddenly speechless and didn't know how to answer.

Wei Yuan said jokingly: "Let me guess, you won't get married this year, right?"

She nodded.

Wei Yuan said: "No women are allowed in the army. This is an iron rule. Violators will be punished by death. Your uncle is worried that I will settle accounts with him later, so he just sold you out?"

She knelt down and kowtowed, "Please forgive me, General Wei. It was me who insisted on serving in the army. It has nothing to do with my uncle."

Wei Yuan waved his hand and said, "Fortunately, few people know your identity. Otherwise, even if you saved me, you can escape the death penalty, but you can't escape the punishment of life. Stand up and answer the question."

She stood up obediently.

Wei Yuan asked: "What's your name?"

She said, "My last name is Zhang. When I was little, my elders called me Zhang Xiaomei. When I grew up, they called me Zhang Xiaoniangzi or Xiaomei."

Zhang Xiaomei?
Hearing this name, Wei Yuan instantly thought of Su Shi’s sister Su Xiaomei.

When he was in Hangzhou, he met Su Xiaomei. She looked very pure and eloquent, and lived up to the reputation of a talented woman.

Now she is married to Qin Shaoyou, the magistrate of Hangzhou.

It is said that Qin Shaoyou's first wife died of illness, and Qin Shaoyou did not remarry for many years.

Once, Qin Shaoyou and Su Shi were drinking, and Su Xiaomei was also there. She was moved by Qin Guan and Su Shaoyou's infatuation with each other. Later, the two fell in love and could not stop.

Wei Yuan was interested in this and learned that after Qin Shaoyou's wife passed away, Qin Shaoyou often lingered in brothels and left behind many poems.

If it were someone else, including Su Xiaomei, they would think he was a talented man.

But in Wei Yuan's opinion, even after his original wife passed away, there was no hope for promotion in his official career, so he simply gave up pretending and just went to whores and had fun as he pleased.

When I saw a soft girl like Su Xiaomei, I got tired of playing with her and wanted to settle down.

Wei Yuan felt that Zhang Xiaomei and Su Xiaomei in front of him had similar temperaments and looks, and were both soft girls.

"Little Sister Zhang"

Wei Yuan murmured at first, and then said: "How can a girl like you endure the hardships of marching?" Zhang Xiaomei asked in return: "General, with your flesh and blood, how can you endure the pain of scraping your bones?"

Wei Yuan was stunned.

Zhang Xiaomei said: "I am just a woman, I don't know what the justice of the country is, but I know that you are the real heroes of the Great Zhou. It is you who fought to the death and killed the enemy to defend the land of the Great Zhou."

"I don't have any special abilities, but I will save as many people as I can. If I can save one more Liao bandit, it means I have saved one more citizen of the Great Zhou."

Wei Yuan was a little surprised. He never expected that this weak woman in front of him could have such a broad mind.

"I will arrange a separate place for you to live. You can stay in the army for the time being. When the war is over, you can go back to where you came from. There is no need for Hua Mulan in my army."

Wei Yuan spoke slowly.

Although it was meant well, Zhang Xiaomei frowned and said, "Does Commander Wei look down on women like us?"

Wei Yuan shook his head and said, "No."

"I just think that the men who can fight in the Great Zhou are still alive. We will fight to the death with the enemy, just to let our women and families have a peaceful life."

"After all of us men of the Great Zhou have died in battle, it won't be too late for you women to go into battle and kill the enemy."

Zhang Xiaomei's eyes lit up, "Wei Shuai, do you think that women are not weaker than men?"

Wei Yuan asked curiously: "Girl, you have some weird ideas."
-
On the evening of May 25, the eighth year of Jiayou, Liang Da led an army of 400,000 to attack Yelu Xinxian.

This battle lasted for a whole day and night, with casualties on both sides. The Liao army was extremely exhausted and was preparing to evacuate northward when it was surprised by the Danglu army and was completely defeated.

Originally, there were nearly 200,000 troops, but after several days of fierce battles, the number of combat-ready soldiers at Yelu Xinxian's disposal was less than 100,000, almost half of them.

Now, for him, there are only two possible situations. One is to continue fighting fiercely while being surrounded by Zhou army on all sides. The final result is obvious, and he will inevitably be wiped out by Zhou army.

One is to quickly leave the battlefield and move north or south in a roundabout way.

After much deliberation, Yelu Xinxian finally decided not to join forces with Yelu Renxian's army for the time being, but to take a detour through Damingfu and quickly make a large roundabout transfer from south to north in an attempt to preserve his manpower.

Many Liao generals were puzzled by this and asked:
"The Marshal has already sent scouts to inform the general to move north at all costs. Why are you heading south now?"

"If we are caught up by the Zhou army after taking a detour through Daming Prefecture, our army will be in danger of being destroyed at any time!"

"Please reconsider, General!"

"."

Yelu Xin explained: "Everyone knows that our army can join the general by going north. How could the Zhou army not know this? They will definitely lay a trap on the way north. If our army suddenly goes south, the Zhou army will be caught off guard!"

In this way, the Liao army began to retreat from the south.

Liang Da and Chen Daniu were chasing closely.

During the retreat from the south, Yelu Xinxian expressed his feelings to his confidants more than once:

"From the very beginning, Wei Yuan's real goal was not Xiangzhou, but our army."

"Under such circumstances, no matter who it is, they will definitely send troops to help the Marshal."

"Wei Yuan anticipated this and made a series of deployments that were closely linked to each other."

"From this point of view, Wei Yuan's ability to march and deploy troops is far superior to mine, and he is on par with the Marshal."

In his opinion, the generals in the world can be divided into two categories.

The first tier includes Yelu Renxian, Zhang Fu, Yeli Wangrong and others.

The second tier includes him, Wei Yuan and Li Liangzuo.

But now, they are still in the second tier, while Wei Yuan has become the first tier.

May 26th, the eighth year of Jiayou.

Wei Yuan was on his way from Xiangzhou to Linzhang.

An angel came and asked:

"My Lord, His Majesty wants to ask you a question. The Western Xia army has already increased its troops in Yanbian. It is extremely difficult for General Zhong and his men to fight against the Western Xia army. Do you have any good ideas?"

This was Zhao Xi's tactful way of asking Wei Yuan whether he could dispatch some troops to support Yanbian.

However, Wei Yuan's attitude was also very resolute.

"I have submitted a memorial to the emperor before. The focus of the battle in Yanbian is not on our country, but on the territory of Xixia."

"If you want to resolve the war in Yanbian, you can ask Tubo to send troops to attack Xixia. In this way, Xixia will withdraw its troops."

"Afterwards, if Xixia intends to attack Tubo, once our army has dealt with the Liao army, we can lend a helping hand to Tubo at any time."

The angel didn't understand anything about the war, so he had to return to the capital and plan to relay Wei Yuan's words to Zhao Xi.
-
In the eighth year of Jiayou's reign, on May 27th, there was a great meeting.

Zhao Xi was listening to the officials' summary of recent political affairs and felt a little annoyed. It was the same things over and over again, and new problems arose after they were solved, which was very annoying.

Just then, a front-line scout came running hurriedly outside the hall.

Zhao Xi hurriedly summoned him. Without waiting for him to kneel, he could not contain his excitement and stood up to ask:
"How's the battle going?"

The scout knelt on one knee because he was wearing armor, and shouted:

"Your Majesty, Xiangzhou has been recovered. In the Battle of Linzhang, our army won a great victory, killing a total of more than 173,600 enemies! After this battle, the Liao army's strength is less than 200,000!"

A resounding victory?

Before Zhao Xi could react, the officials started to speak:
"Congratulations, Your Majesty. May God bless our Great Zhou!"

"The Liao army suffered heavy casualties. They will not be able to start a war against our Great Zhou for another ten years!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty."

"."

Zhao Xi was also filled with joy and laughed, "It seems that the Liao army is not invincible. Compared with our great Celestial Empire, it is vulnerable!"

"When the army returns victorious, I will definitely reward you handsomely! No, I will reward you now! I will reward Master Wei."

Thinking of this, he hesitated.

All the officials were stunned where they were.

Another reward?

After a long while, Zhao Xi suddenly said something shocking: "Confer the title of Marquis of Guanjun on Taifu Wei. The fiefdom will remain the same as before!"

Wei Yuan was clearly already a marquis, so why was he given the title of Marquis of Guanjun and was the word "additional title" used?

That’s because the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery had no fiefdom, while the title of Marquis of Champion had always had a fiefdom from ancient times to the present.

For marquises without fiefdoms, the imperial court would only reward them with an amount of fiefdom, but it was far from the level of a marquis of ten thousand households, and was even lower than a marquis of a thousand households.

Because without a fiefdom, it is impossible to collect taxes from the people within the fiefdom, and how much tax each household should pay. This is the meaning of the Marquis of Wanhu.

There are at least ten thousand households within the territory of the Marquis of Guanjun, and all the taxes from these ten thousand households go to the Marquis of Guanjun, so he is called the 'Marquis of Ten Thousand Households'.

In the current political system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there are less than five marquises and dukes who own fiefdoms.

Moreover, among these five, except Wei Yuan, I am afraid that several others had their titles stripped by the court for various reasons.

It can be seen how much favor Zhao Xi has for Wei Yuan.

In other words, although Wei Yuan was not yet a duke, his status as a marquis was far superior to that of many dukes. Even the mansions of old dukes such as the Duke of Qi and the Duke of Lu were far inferior to his.

In terms of status and power of the title, the only ones who can be compared with Wei Yuan, the Marquis of Wanhu, are the Duke of Yingguo and the Duke of Hanguo, and even the Duke of Fuguo is inferior to him.

After all, the Duke of Fuguo had no fiefdom, and neither did the Dukes of Ying and Han. However, Britain and South Korea were both countries in the Spring and Autumn Period. Later, Britain was destroyed by the State of Chu. The Britain referred to here was a small country established during the Xia Dynasty, known in history as Ancient Britain.

Theoretically, the Dukes Ying and Han could collect taxes from the people in the Korean area during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in their original fiefdoms. For example, the Duke of Han could collect taxes from the people in the Korean area during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

Of course, no one has ever done this.

However, Wei Yuan's title of Marquis Wanhu actually came with a fiefdom, the Marquisate of Guanjun, and Zhao Xi planned to give all the tax revenue from the people in that area to him.

(End of this chapter)