Chapter 510 A Thousand Miles Journey (4)

At the end of February, the land of Hebei is certainly not full of grass and orioles, but there are also willows sprouting branches and peach and apricot flowers filling the courtyard. More importantly, the land that has just been cultivated brings out a fresh earthy smell.

The new seedlings that are sprouting slightly make the land of Hebei very pleasing to the eye.

At this time, along with the migratory birds returning from the north, the Gang began to conduct large-scale military gatherings around Yecheng.

No movement or stillness can be covered.

This was a quasi-total mobilization, and all gang territories were activated. Not only the army, but also a large amount of supplies were transported from Henan through the newly thawed river. The ports on the river were working day and night without stopping. At the same time,

The defense forces originally on the front line and various places in Hebei have also begun to build simple temporary military camps and supply depots, and at the same time inspect and maintain roads.

As for the palace city on the northwest side of Ye City, it is not simply overcrowded at this time. A more accurate description is actually people coming and going:

Many members of the departments directly under Dahangtai and their heads are not here now, but have gone to various places. Some went to the front line in the north, some went to inspect traffic, some went to Henan to escort grain, grass and ordnance, and some went to the military camp for inspections.

The state of being a soldier...but often does not last long, and then goes back to attend some meetings, submit or deliver some documents, fill out some forms, and then go somewhere again.

In addition, a large number of middle and low-level officers, local officials, and retired veterans were summoned here. Together with the original documents from Yecheng, they joined the army and prepared generals to receive general promotions, and then were sent in large numbers to

In the military, in the logistics team and in various places on the front line, he serves as deputy to core positions.

This is not simply adding sand to strengthen the authority of Daxingtai, nor is it simply the pursuit of improving combat effectiveness. The more consideration is a plan designed for war and expansion based on past experience.

The purpose of adding a large number of officers is to ensure that the structure of the army does not collapse after a possible war leads to large-scale attrition, so as to maintain combat effectiveness or to quickly rebuild; while the transfer to logistics and local areas is to ensure that there are enough spare officers to take over new sites in a timely manner and ensure that new

The grammar and official system of the territorial gang was quickly activated, and then blood transfusions were made in time for the Northern Expedition.

Against this background, Xie Minghe, the general manager of foreign affairs, went north again in person and came to Hejian on February 27th.

"If Duke Xue surrenders, first of all, Duke Xue and his sons will be able to come and go freely, whether they are returning to the Eastern Capital or the Western Capital. If they stay, Duke

The person who does things is the general manager, and the leader is the general. If you want to go to the local area, be the leader, command the station, or be the general manager of the state, you can only stay in Hejian, and you may go to Dengzhou or Xuzhou.

"Secondly, here at the Hejian Camp, Mr. Xue can make a list. In addition to the normal appointments, we will guarantee the positions of two big leaders and eight leaders. According to your concept, they will all be in charge of general management, separate management, and prefecture.

, the dispatches of generals and generals...the middle-level officers and county officials who were originally serving as officials in the Hejian camp will not be dispatched within two years unless they are obviously against us.

"Third, the above conditions were signed by Chief Zhang and officially issued in Daxingtai... The deadline is the eighth day of March. I will be in Hejian before the fifth day of March. Before the eighth day, as long as Mr. Xue is actually here

Give up resistance, and we will try our best to abide by this condition...please ask Mr. Xue to accept it."

As Xie Minghe finished speaking, the lobby of the Hejian Daying General Manager's Office in Hejian City, Hejian County fell into an eerie silence.

Xue Changxiong, who was sitting in the first place, took a look and felt cold in his heart... He had been in the army for a long time, so he didn't know that the army had its own atmosphere. If he didn't scold him at this time, he would be tempted, and this would also be the decline of his own authority.

Otherwise, it would be just a show of loyalty, and many people would have scolded me.

"How dare the dog thieves underestimate us in Hejian?" In the midst of anxiety, a general suddenly jumped out with his sword, pointed at Xie Minghe and scolded him, but it was Dou Ru, son of Dou Pi, the former deputy general manager of Hejian. "We in Hejian are thieves with you.

The hatred is as deep as the sea, and we can only decide life and death, so how can we talk about making peace?!"

When everyone heard this, they became more solemn. No one else... The Gang invaded Hebei before and fought two rapid and fierce frontal battles with the Hejian Camp. The Gang won quickly, but the Hejian Camp was defeated quickly.

There were many casualties.

A leader of Dasheng's gang died, and the situation here in Hejian Camp was even more tragic. Xue Changxiong lost two sons, and Dou Ru's father, who was the deputy general manager, also died in the battle. The current No. 2 figure in Hejian Camp, Hebei

Murong Zhengyan, a famous local man, was also seriously injured and disabled.

The rest of the generals and sergeants were also seriously injured.

"Well said!" Xue Wancheng also stood up and scolded. "You killed my second brother and fourth brother. This is a life-and-death feud. How can I discuss it with you? Our family is only about life and death!"

"That's right! If the thief wants to fight, then he will fight!"

"Don't worry, foster father, Youzhou's 100,000 cavalry can go south at any time. I don't know who will surrender when the time comes!"

"The thief seems to be coming menacingly, but in fact it is just a bluff. If he is really sure, why would he give such generous conditions... This is a delaying tactic! Manager, don't fall into the trap!"

"Father, the hatred between the fourth brother and the second brother must not be forgotten!"

"Manager, we are not afraid of him!"

"..."

"..."

"Okay." Suddenly, Xue Changxiong, who was sitting on the main seat, raised his hand to stop this sudden unnecessary performance, and then looked at a key figure. "General Murong, what do you think? Can you fight?

?”

Murong Zhengyan, whose legs were crippled, sat in the first seat on the left and was silent for a long time, so that the generals around him became a little impatient, but Xue Changxiong remained patient.

After a long time, the local general spoke, but he did not reply directly: "General manager, no matter what, the two armies are fighting and the envoys will not be killed. Besides, I was well received when I went to help. Thank you, manager, for returning to the post house to rest."

.”

"Okay." Xue Changxiong understood, and then nodded to Xie Minghe. "Mr.

Xie Minghe didn't hesitate or get angry, he just handed over his hand and left. Walking out of the lobby, he was greeted by the bright spring sunshine. He raised his head to face the warm spring sun and slightly raised the corners of his mouth, but he didn't know whether he wanted to sneer or just be innocent.

I feel like yawning.

Not to mention that Xie Minghe was happy to go back. As soon as the people left, there was a commotion in the hall again, but Xue Changxiong suppressed it with one hand, and then continued to see Murong Zhengyan.

Murong Zhengyan hesitated for a moment, then continued to ask: "Manager, can we talk to you in private?"

Xue Changxiong sighed: "I know what General Murong means."

The hall also became cold.

Murong Zhengyan was helpless: "Manager, some things involve people, so we really can't talk about them in public, and you shouldn't make such direct conclusions."

Xue Changxiong thought for a moment and waved his hand to signal others to leave.

And just when everyone turned around helplessly, the Hebei marching commander called out to two of them again: "Wanquan, Ashin, you two stay and listen."

Xue Changxiong's youngest son, Xue Wanquan, and his adopted son, Luo Xin, each cheered up and regained their composure upon hearing this, while the other three sons and a nephew took the lead to leave angrily. However, the other generals remained calm and did not express any unnecessary words.

After they left, Murong Zhengyan looked at the two young men and told Xue Changxiong bluntly: "I know what the manager wants to ask me, and I can't hide it. Military officers and local officials from Hebei, Xindu,

We can no longer believe that those on the Boling side will switch sides and abandon their armor as soon as the war begins; those on the Boling side may not switch sides directly, but they will not help us too much. As long as they help Zhuozhangshui, they will be unstable..."

"I understand Xin, but is Boling like this?" Xue Changxiong couldn't understand.

"This is nothing." Murong Zheng said sternly. "The key is in the army..."

"Does General Murong want to say that those officers were so shaken that they actually dared to mutiny directly, or that some of them had already acted as agents for thieves and become traitors?" Luo Xin interjected and asked.

"No." Murong Zheng said sternly. "It's not an officer, at least it's not just an officer. What I'm worried about is that the officers and soldiers are in turmoil together, especially in the past two years, most of the soldiers in the Hejian Camp were newly recruited from the three counties of Hejian.

... They are all locals. They know that the government order for the gang is simple and the land transfer is fair, so they are often hesitant... The general manager, military officers and local noble families may not really have much yearning for the gang. Even if they have contacts, it is difficult, but due to the situation,

But the people below can't control their interactions, especially this year, with so many targeted agitation... What I'm afraid of now is that the two sides will influence each other and cause chaos."

Xue Changxiong looked a little ugly.

Luo Xin and Xue Wanquan remained silent for a while.

The reason is very simple. As a member of the local military family, Murong Zhengyan is now the number two figure in the Hejian camp. He has a unique say in the matter of local people's hearts. More importantly, he also fought for Xue Changxiong that day.

, I have been working hard in the past two years, and I can be regarded as someone who can be trusted enough.

Well, if he says this now, I'm afraid it's really unstable down there.

"Then what should we do?" After a while, Xue Wanquan felt a little helpless. "Is the only outcome is surrender or leave?"

Xue Changxiong also sighed: "The thieves are right. Give me two years to win over the people of Hebei and make them one. I deserve to lose to them..."

"That's what the manager said." Murong Zhengyan sighed. "That's because the manager abides by the principles of being a minister and has no ambitions... It's not like everyone has such deliberate intentions that the late emperor wanted to replace him just after he went to Jiangdu."

"That's the truth." Xue Changxiong sneered when he heard this. "The princes in the world, from south to north, if they are bandits, they will fight from scratch to establish their foundations in one city and one place. If they are officers and soldiers, nine out of ten they will follow the tide.

, forced by the situation, he was the only one, Bai Hengqiu, who made great plans. As soon as he was dispatched, more than a dozen counties in Jin became an ironclad... And by coincidence, he fell into the position of staying behind in Taiyuan before the Three Expeditions.

Where are you waiting for the late Emperor to go to Jiangdu?"

"That's what happened before. It's useless to think about it." Murong Zhengyan had no choice but to interrupt the other party. "Manager, you asked me about the situation in the local area. I have already answered truthfully. Now we have to make a decision."

"As you said, you can't fight?" Xue Changxiong paused and asked a question similar to but different from that of his youngest son.

Murong Zhengyan understood the other party's thoughts instantly.

To put it bluntly, Xue Changxiong is not that difficult to understand. People like him are even the most common in troubled times... He has the ability and ideas, but does not have the ambition and courage to change the world. He has loyalty and morality, but cannot resist the power of the separatist party.

The best result of the temptation of self-centeredness is to stick to one side and be free for half a life. Even following the example of the previous hundreds of years, when encountering specific historical circumstances, future generations can become kings and hegemons and live free for several generations.

And what if there is a bad outcome?

Regardless of self-knowledge, life and death, honor and disgrace, are all just one knife.

In fact, Du Po Zhen was in a similar mood, but his Huaiyou Alliance was born to help this behemoth, and they all belonged to the rebel camp. He himself was able to step on the steps because of people like Zhang Xing, Bai Yousi, and Qin Bao.

Naturally, there are only two more ropes to bind the immortals.

Back in front of him, Murong Zhengyan pondered for a moment and decided to open the skylight and speak frankly: "So, the manager still wants to survive as much as possible?"

"good."

"Then all I can think of is a strategy to defend Hejian City." Murong Zhengyan said with difficulty. "Once the troops are sent out to fight in the field, the troops will spread out, and the front line will stretch for more than 400 miles from east to west. After the fight, they will become intertwined.

It would be even more chaotic. When the time comes, some people will inevitably surrender and switch sides, and in all likelihood, others will follow suit, and more people will sit and guard the city to watch success or failure... And in this case, according to the current situation of our two families
To be continued...