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

Chapter 327: Yelu Renxian's Final Conspiracy
Among the ancient military commanders, only Wei Yuan was so bold as to command an army of 600,000 in the blink of an eye.

Whether it was the deployment of the Battle of Xiangzhou or the launch of the Central Plains War, Wei Yuan's layout seemed to lengthen the battle line, but in fact, each army supported each other.

If one side is attacked, another army will rush to support it.

After completing the deployment, Wei Yuan and Xu Changzhi led the Danglu Army and the remaining 300,000 soldiers to continue advancing.

Today, the main force of the Liao army has gathered in the Gucheng area, only a hundred miles away from Mingzhou.

This time Wei Yuan wanted to march his troops to Shulu Town.

On the way, he told Xu Changzhi about some future plans.
"After this battle, I plan to expand the Danglu Army."

Xu Changzhi nodded and said, "I have seen the information about the casualties in the Xiangzhou battle. Even though our army has the advantage of time and place, the proportion of casualties in the battle with the Liao army is still frighteningly high."

"This situation was reversed when Danniu led the Danglu Army to arrive. If the Danglu Army can be expanded, it will be a good thing for the country and the people."

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "What do you think of three hundred thousand?"

Three hundred thousand?
Xu Changzhi frowned and said, "Back then, we only had to raise 80,000 new soldiers to annihilate the enemy. We faced a lot of pressure from both the government and the people. The war lasted for nearly a year, and the national treasury was almost empty. Would those scholars and officials agree to this?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "They have no choice but to agree."

After this battle, Wei Yuan will become a hero in the war to defend the country.

By then, he will be second only to one person and above ten thousand people. It will not be an exaggeration to say that he is half a powerful official.

To him, a powerful official without any soldiers under his command was just fish on the emperor's chopping board.

Zhao Xi had done him a favor, so he would naturally not do anything disloyal.

But we must always consider our future generations.

Once upon a time, he was the loyal and brave Bo Shi, and his 80,000-man army was enough to ensure that the power of their Wei family would not decline.

But now he is the champion marquis, 80,000 is too little, he needs 300,000.

The soldiers of the Daizhou Group also need a cradle where they can rise and develop into talents.

"Brother Wei, what do you want to achieve in this battle? Do you really want to recapture the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun?"

Xu Changzhi asked.

Wei Yuan thought about it seriously, then suddenly shook his head and said, "Let's talk about it later."

Xu Changzhi was stunned for a moment, "This is the first time that Brother Wei is indecisive."

Wei Yuan said: "If we really recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, how should we deal with ourselves?"

Xu Changzhi was shocked.

Yes, if the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun were really recovered, what would happen to them, and even those people from Daizhou?

Wei Yuan added: "When I first commanded a million strong army, I was indeed full of energy and wanted to take the opportunity to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun."

"But Your Majesty has made me a marquis. If I take another step, I will become a duke? A king of a different surname?"

"As long as the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun are not recovered, we will be safe for a day."

Xu Changzhi said nothing more.

If the two of them continued talking, it would be extremely disrespectful.

At this moment, Pengcheng.

Yelu Xinxian fled northward all the way, and after many hardships, he finally joined forces with the main army.

However, even if they joined forces, the entire Liao army would only have more than 100,000 combat troops.

In the battle of Xiangzhou, they were defeated miserably and there was no possibility of recovery unless Wei Yuan made an extremely fatal mistake.

But they all knew that for a commander of Wei Yuan's level, the possibility of making mistakes was basically zero.

"Xinxian, from now on, you will head north and leave the Great Zhou territory."

Yelu Renxian felt extremely helpless when he saw Yelu Xinxian, who was covered in dust, kneeling on the ground and crying bitterly.

Yelu Xinxian raised his head suddenly and said, "Brother, if I leave, what will you do?"

Renxian said: "In this battle, our army has already been defeated. There is no possibility of turning defeat into victory. Soon, His Majesty will issue an order for us to withdraw our troops."

"I'm afraid I won't survive."

Yelu Xinxian frowned and said, "Although we suffered a disastrous defeat in the battle to the south, my brother has made contributions to the country after all. Your Majesty, even if you think about the friendship between the monarch and his subjects, you will not..."

Before he could finish his words, Renxian interrupted him, "A defeat is a defeat. The Liao Dynasty does not need a defeated general."

Xinxian said, "If anyone is to die, it's me who should die. I fell into the Zhou army's trap by mistake. What does it have to do with you? Big brother, you go! I'll stay!"

Yelu Renxian shook his head and said, "After commanding the battle of Xiangzhou, General Wei Yuan of Zhou has become famous all over the world. Everyone knows him. He is second only to one man in the Zhou Kingdom."

"This time when we went south, I took all the elite soldiers of the Liao Dynasty with me. Now they are all lost in Zhou territory. Wei Yuan will take advantage of the situation to recapture the Sixteen States. If the horse breeding land is seized by the Zhou army, the Liao Dynasty will no longer exist."

"If Wei Yuan kills me, my extraordinary achievement will be in vain. With the suspicious mind of the Zhao family emperor, Wei Yuan will not dare to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun."

"Among the younger generation of generals in the Liao Dynasty, you are the only one who has the potential to fight against Wei Yuan!"

"Can you understand my painstaking efforts?"

Simply put, he wanted to use his own life to buy a way out for the Liao Dynasty and Yelu Xinxian.

If I died, Wei Yuan would be considered to have accomplished his mission, and whether or not the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun were recovered would not matter much to him.

if!

Wei Yuan still insists on recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, so one day, Wei Yuan will definitely die!
That night.

Yelu Xin first left Pengcheng and moved strategically northward.

July 12, the eighth year of Jiayou.

All the generals of the Zhou army have arrived at their designated combat positions.

The fifteenth day of the same month.

The Central Plains War broke out.

The lands originally seized by the Liao army, such as Baoding and Zhending Prefecture, were all recovered by Wei Yuan.

In early August, the Zhou army attacked Pengcheng.

In mid-August, Yelu Renxian fled north to Qizhou.

At the end of August, all the armies joined forces to attack Qizhou.

Yelu Renxian's troops were insufficient and he suffered setbacks in defending the city.

At the same time, the Liao Kingdom sent envoys to ask for peace with the Zhou Kingdom.

In mid-September, Zhao Xi sent a secret order, asking Wei Yuan to intercept and kill the Liao envoy.

The intention of this move was very clear. Zhao Xi made it clear that he did not want to cease fire. He wanted to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

However, the moment Wei Yuan received the secret order, he became deeply worried.

Do you really want to kill the Liao envoy?
At this time, only Wei Yuan and Xu Changzhi were left in the Zhou army tent.

The latter said: "The killing of the Liao envoy means that our army will fight to the end. When to withdraw is not up to you and me."

The former frowned and said: "If we don't kill him, it would be disobeying the emperor's order. If we fail to kill him, it would be deceiving the emperor."

No one would believe that Wei Yuan, who commanded an army of hundreds of thousands, could not even intercept and kill a mere envoy from the Liao Kingdom.

"Why did His Majesty ask you to do this? Logically speaking, wouldn't it be better to let the Imperial City Bureau do this kind of thing?" Xu Changzhi asked puzzledly.

Wei Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "Our Majesty has become more and more opinionated."

"The Imperial City Department is the emperor's personal department. If they take action, the history books will naturally put the blame on your majesty for the killing of the envoy. Your majesty not only wants military achievements, but also civil governance. He wants to be the greatest emperor in history. He disdains to do such a shameful thing as killing an envoy."

"Your Majesty doesn't want me to have a good reputation, and doesn't want me to have a good reputation. Therefore, I must be the one to kill the messenger."

Xu Changzhi was surprised and asked, "Your Majesty is so young, yet you have such thoughts?"

In fact, the person who came up with this idea was Wang Anshi.

Zhao Xi thought it made sense and adopted it.

Now, Wei Yuan is in a dilemma.

"Not as good as."

Wei Yuan murmured something, then suddenly sat down at the desk and wrote a paragraph.

The general idea is that your majesty should be a benevolent and righteous monarch and must not kill his envoys. In simple terms, this monarch and his minister are in a tug of war.

The more Xu Changzhi read Wei Yuan's writing, the more surprised he became.
"Brother Wei, you are teaching His Majesty how to do things!"

Wei Yuan said: "Now, there is no other way. If Yanyun is gone, His Majesty will have to use us."

None of them guessed that it was Wang Anshi's idea.

This incident may also cause a rift between the emperor and his ministers.

The eighth year of Jiayou, the end of September.

The Zhou army entered the city of Qizhou.

The Liao army commander, Yelu Renxian, sat in the governor's mansion, waiting for Wei Yuan to arrive.

At this time, the entire governor's mansion was surrounded by Zhou's army.

Since then, the 400,000 Liao troops who invaded from the south have all been buried on the land of Great Zhou.

The Liao Kingdom was severely damaged after this battle.

When Wei Yuan arrived at the governor's mansion, Chen Daniu came over and clasped his fists, saying:
"General Wei, Yelu Renxian said he wants to see you."

see me?

Wei Yuan thought about it and said, "It's time to meet him."

He came to the main hall of the governor's mansion.

He saw Yelu Renxian with disheveled hair and a scimitar in his hand.

This old man in his sixties fought hard to capture Bianliang several times, but in the end, he died here.

The entire governor's mansion was brightly lit, and the smell of blood and the atmosphere of war filled the entire city.

Under the attention of everyone, Yelu Renxian slowly sat down on the armchair.

Wei Yuan took two steps forward and asked, "Why do you want to see me?"

Yelu Ren first looked at everyone.

Wei Yuan waved his hand.

The Zhou army soldiers surrounding the area immediately left.

Wei Yuan also moved a chair and sat opposite him. He had no intention of mocking the defeated. Instead, he felt grateful.

Yelu Renxian is also considered a hero.

While many famous generals such as Di Qing, Zhang Fu, and Gu Yankai appeared in the Great Zhou, the Liao army became increasingly powerful under the leadership of Yelu Renxian.

If he is not a hero, who else can be a hero?

"You wanted to see me specially, so you have something to say, right?" Wei Yuan asked.

Yelu Renxian raised his head and looked at him quietly. After a moment, he finally said:
"You are really young, boy."

Wei Yuan said: "Old General is a hero of the time. I will leave you with an intact body. Otherwise, you will just be humiliated if you live. How do you think?"

Yelu Ren nodded first, "Thank you."

Wei Yuan was about to stand up when he heard his voice again.
"Wait a minute."

Wei Yuan looked at the weapon in his hand and asked curiously, "Old General, can't bring yourself to kill him?"

Yelu Renxian shook his head and asked, "I was just wondering what the final fate of a monster like you will be, and where the way out will be."

Hearing this, Wei Yuan's heart moved, and he sat back on his chair and said seriously: "Old General, just speak frankly."

Yelu Renxian said: "If you recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, you will really have no way to survive."

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "I understand. Don't worry, old general. The plan of nibbling away at the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun that was set by our Great Zhou Emperor Taizu will not be shaken by anyone."

Yelu Renxian was stunned for a moment, then said, "You really thought it through."

Wei Yuan stood up, bowed solemnly and said, "Old General, have a safe journey."

Yelu Renxian was speechless.

After Wei Yuan leaves here.

Suddenly, Yelu Renxian laughed twice, "Wei Yuan, don't forget the agreement you made with me!"

Agreement?

What agreement?
Hey!
Wei Yuan couldn't help but swear.

When they arrived at the lobby again, they saw that Yelu Renxian had committed suicide.

Wei Yuan was furious and said: "I wanted to leave your body intact, but you took it so seriously!"

"Come here, tear Yelu Renxian into pieces, chop him into pieces, burn him in a blazing fire, take his ashes, and place them under the temple. I will make sure he never reborn!"

Wei Yuan was rarely furious.

Of course, those words reached Zhao Xi's ears.

In addition, he had no intention of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, teaching Zhao Xi how to do things, etc. How could the monarch and his subjects not become alienated?

In early October of the eighth year of Jiayou, Wei Yuan completely recovered the lost territory.

At the same time, Zhao Xi ordered the court officials to drag the Liao envoys, while urging Wei Yuan to continue his march and advance into the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

On October 5, Yelu Yixian withdrew his troops.

In mid-October, Wei Yuan received an imperial decree to postpone his departure from the country in the name of preparing supplies.

Zhao Xi was delaying the Liao envoy, and Wei Yuan was also delaying Tianshi.

As long as it snows, the army can't advance.

Naturally, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun could not be recovered.

October th.

Bianjing.

In the Xuanzheng Hall, Zhao Xi saw Yan Da, the commander of the Imperial City Department, coming and asked urgently:
"Has the Champion Marquis sent out his troops?"

Hearing this, Yan Da knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Marquis Guanjun said that there was a heavy snowfall in the north, and the hundreds of thousands of troops, mostly from the south, could not stand the cold in the north, so they could not march forward."

Unable to advance?

After waiting for so long, this is the result?
"Didn't I send out several batches of cotton clothes? The Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. With such a good opportunity, why didn't the Guards advance? Why?"

Zhao Xi showed signs of being angry.

Yan Da dared not speak.

At this time, Wang Anshi, who was standing aside, winked at Zhao Xi.

Zhao Xi had no choice but to let Yan Da leave first.

When they were the only two left in the hall, Zhao Xi said gloomily:

"Master, I don't understand. All the elite soldiers of the Liao army have been killed, even Yelu Renxian is dead. Now is the best time to march into the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. Once the Liao army recovers in the future, it will be even more difficult to recapture them!"

Wang Anshi said, "Your Majesty, please take a look at this first."

As he said this, he handed Zhao Xi a note.

Zhao Xi opened it and frowned slightly.
"This is obviously Yelu Renxian's plan to sow discord. How could I fall for it?"

Wang Anshi said earnestly, "It is true that it was a plot to sow discord, but it is also true that the Marquis of Wei and Yelu Renxian met alone."

Zhao Xi asked, "What do you mean? Do you suspect that the guard has treasonous intentions?"

Wang Anshi bowed and said, "I have no such intention. It is just that we are entering winter and the army should not continue to advance. The national treasury is empty. If the battle to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun is a protracted battle, I am afraid that it will make our Great Zhou fall into a quagmire and unable to advance or retreat."

Zhao Xi was about to refute, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that it was indeed true.

"Master Wei could have ended the Central Plains War earlier and recovered the lost territory. Why did he take so long?"

"I don't understand, I don't understand!"

At this point, Zhao Xi said angrily: "Even if we don't fight, we have to tear the Liao Kingdom apart again and tell them to cede land and pay compensation. Otherwise, the soldiers of the Great Zhou will never withdraw their troops!"

(End of this chapter)