Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 134 Test Chu Shizhao's Quality
Chu Shizhao never doubted Wu Zhen's loyalty.

Simulations have proven that many of the military officials of the Zhou Dynasty were willing to die for their country.

However, loyalty does not mean that a person's choice is necessarily correct.

Chu Shizhao's death admonishment for maintaining public order was sincere, and Wu Zhen's fight to the death was also sincere. He had the courage to go to the battlefield and fight the Huns to the death.

But the problem is that the fight to the death that Wu Zhen wants now is meaningless.

The attitude and position are worthy of respect, but no matter in terms of strategy and value, the most important thing at the moment is to defend Chang'an, rather than going out to fight a decisive battle with the Huns.

Although I don't want to admit it, it is an established fact that the military defense of the Great Zhou Dynasty is not strong enough to launch a frontal attack.

Wu Zhen compared the military defense during the reign of Emperor Taizhang thirty years ago with the current military defense, which clearly misjudged the true strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

He had been away from the political center and the military center for too long, and was only brought out temporarily because of something that happened.

"Please let him in." Emperor Yongjin took a deep breath.

Apart from anything else, Wu Zhen’s attitude and determination are always reassuring.

Wu Zhen, who walked in, knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, the country is in ruins and facing a national crisis. As a general, I cannot share the country's worries. This is my fault."

Emperor Yongjin immediately promoted Wu Zhen. The most urgent task was to discuss a strategy, whether to fight or defend, and this was not the time to talk such nice words.

"I already know your intention, my dear minister. But now Chang'an has few soldiers and generals. How can we go out of the city to fight against the Huns?" Emperor Yongjin immediately raised the question.

The fact that there were few soldiers and generals was also put on the desk.

"It is precisely because we have few soldiers and generals that we should fight." Wu Zhen took a deep breath and said, "I am carrying the coffin and swearing to fight in order to stabilize the morale of the army in Chang'an. Only when the morale of the army is stabilized, will the soldiers of the Great Zhou have the confidence to fight the Huns."

"There are three dangers of defending Chang'an. First, if Chang'an is surrounded, it will be cut off from other vassal states. How can Your Majesty ensure that these military governors have not colluded with the Xiongnu?"

"Our first priority is to open up a channel so that other places can contact the central government, so that there will be room for serving the emperor."

"Secondly, Chang'an is the face of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the place where the dragon rose. Now it is besieged by the Xiongnu. This is a loss of national dignity and a disgrace to the country."

"Third, since the Xiongnu dared to besiege Chang'an once, they will definitely dare to besiege Chang'an a second time. If we focus on defense every time, how can we deal with such border troubles in the long run? The only way is to take the initiative to attack and hurt them, so as to have the possibility of keeping the border safe."

"The Xiongnu population is extremely small, and the loss of one person would be a serious loss. As long as we kill a few thousand of their soldiers, they will surely retreat."

"Take advantage of this moment and attack them by surprise. Even though the military strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty is not as strong as before, it is impossible for it to collapse at the first blow."

Wu Zhen spoke slowly, and Emperor Yongjin felt that there was some truth in his words.

However, Chu Shizhao tells you very clearly that all this is based on the premise that this surprise attack can be won. If you cannot win, then it will all be in vain and just empty talk.

If they win, then what Wu Zhen said makes sense. If they fail, Wu Zhen will lead the Great Zhou Dynasty to destruction.

This is even more unrealistic than Wei Yan's Ziwu Valley strategy.

The Ziwu Valley plan is ingenious. The Prime Minister only needs to give Wei Yan some soldiers and he can give it a try. Maybe a miracle will happen.

But what Wu Zhen wants to do now is to let the troops of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which have extremely poor field combat capabilities, fight against the Huns head-on, and bet that these soldiers can defeat the Huns with morale. What is the difference between this and making a wish?
Just by looking at the panel, Chu Shizhao knew that it would be impossible to defeat the Huns by taking the initiative.

If Zhu Qizhen had led the army in person and defeated the army, he would have been considered a wise ruler. But he failed and ended up studying abroad, didn't he?

The problem is that Chu Shizhao has already realized the countermeasures Wu Zhen mentioned, and now he has persuaded other ministers, and even Emperor Yongjin has been shaken.

The problem of border troubles has really affected the Yongjin Dynasty for many years. Now the battle has reached Chang'an. Given my father's face-saving personality, if he cannot return the favor in full, he will keep talking about this matter before his death.

Wu Zhen told his ministers and Emperor Yongjin the benefits of winning this battle, and then asked them whether they wanted to fight or not.

It was just like Yuan Chonghuan promising Emperor Chongzhen that he would conquer Liao within five years.

Therefore, there is no need for Chu Shizhao to insist on holding on and use the pros and cons to persuade his father. At present, it seems that it is basically impossible to persuade his father.

It was not only that Wu Zhen's idea was too tempting, but the national conditions of the Great Zhou Dynasty also tended to be offensive. They relied on being the Celestial Empire, and now they were being beaten by the Huns, and they were furious.

Only if they try and fail, will they know the pain.

The only thing that suffered was the soldiers.

Chu Shizhao sighed and said, "Father, since we have to fight the Huns, then we should fight them."

Chu Shizhao pointed to the map and said, "However, if we really want to take the initiative to attack, I think there is no need to rush. Please look at this map."

"The Xiongnu's battle line is extremely long, and they bypassed some cities of the Great Zhou Dynasty and attacked Chang'an directly. The current position of the Xiongnu seems to be in a pocket."

"We will first dispatch the Liangzhou army, then find the armies in Jinyang, Datong, and Daning, and ask them to help encircle and seal this hole. The defenders in Chang'an will then take the initiative to attack and try to retain the Xiongnu. By encircling and encircling them, we may have a chance for a great victory."

At present, the main opinion of the Great Zhou Dynasty is to fight the Huns head-on, so Chu Shizhao can only think about strategies from the perspective of taking the initiative to fight.

This is the only way Chu Shizhao can think of now to make an active attack look effective.

Use the defenders of Chang'an as bait to lure the Huns to stay here, and then let the Liangzhou Army, which has relatively good field combat capabilities, complete the harvest on the main battlefield.

The only unreliable thing here is that Chu Shizhao cannot be sure whether the Liangzhou Army is willing to contribute.

After all, in the Zhou Dynasty, the Jiedushi were close to being out of control, and perhaps they would rather see Chang'an being besieged.

However, Chu Shizhao thought of the simulation, in which Huan Jie sent troops to help Chang'an break the siege, so he thought of using a double-team approach to retain these Huns.

Chu Shizhao added: "Please ask your father to send me to the front line, and let Minister Wang be my commander."

Wang Huai fell silent.

He really didn't expect that Chu Shizhao could be so narrow-minded that he insisted on dragging him to the battlefield.

Do you want to force him to go to the battlefield and exchange his life?
Emperor Yongjin hesitated immediately. He did not want his son to go to the battlefield. He slowly said, "This is not your business."

"My ancestors of the Great Zhou conquered the world with bows and horses. As a descendant of the royal family, why should I care about my life when the country is in crisis? General Wu has expressed his will by carrying a coffin. Isn't it a pleasure for my descendants to shed their blood on the battlefield?"

Chu Shizhao fixed his eyes on Wang Huai. "Lord Wang should also be like me, serving the country with loyalty and dying for the country."

Wang Huai wanted to curse. Now that Chu Shizhao said this, he had no choice but to go to the battlefield. Not going to the battlefield would be disloyal to the country.

"I am willing to go with the Fourth Prince." Wang Huai saluted while suppressing his gritted teeth.

"But if we go out of the city to fight the Huns, will they really retreat?"

Wang Huai asked.

"Why not?" Chu Shizhao brought up Wu Zhen's previous statement and said, "The Xiongnu seem to be attacking in the name of the country, but in fact they are no different from bandits. They come here to seek nothing more than food and money."

"To put it bluntly, I am just wandering around looking for food."

"What the bandits fear most is casualties. If they suffer losses and worry about their lives, they will flee."

"General Wu has also said that the Xiongnu are few in number, and they cannot afford the loss of one person. As long as enough Xiongnu people die on the front line, are you still afraid that they will not retreat?"

"Then I will order you to take charge of Yang Fang's Northern Army and your new army, a total of 10,000 people as a separate army." Emperor Yongjin pondered for a moment and said, "Wang Huai will be your commander-in-chief."

"Your son obeys your command." Chu Shizhao clasped his fists and said.

"I obey your orders." Wang Huai also pretended to obey your orders.

Chu Shizhao wanted Wang Huai to be his commander-in-chief, not only because he wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of Wang Huai, but also because he wanted to retreat in order to advance.

If Wang Huai, who had always been at odds with Chu Shizhao, had not been his military supervisor, Chu Shizhao, as a member of the royal family, would have had a hard time getting the chance to lead the army alone.

This poses a huge threat to Chu Shizhao's three brothers.

Only when Wang Huai becomes the commander-in-chief of Chu Shizhao's army can the Wang family be safe and his three brothers can rest assured.

But whether Wang Huai had the opportunity to become Chu Shizhao's commander-in-chief or not, Chu Shizhao could not guarantee him at all whether he would survive.

Chu Shizhao did not have much confidence in this battle. After all, in the simulation, he knew too well the true combat power of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s army.

Originally, the Great Zhou Dynasty had already reached the middle or even the end of its dynasty. The problem of ghost soldiers was so rampant that it was even a problem whether the military salaries could be paid on time. Considering the financial situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Huns' siege of Chang'an was really going to end the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

But as a member of the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Chu Shizhao could only fight them to the death.

Fortunately, Chu Shizhao's new Northern Army has been in training for three months. Under the intensive training, the comprehensive capabilities of the new army have improved rapidly.

Many of them have the potential to transfer to more powerful arms. They have the talent, but it just depends on whether they can survive this war.

What really worries Chu Shizhao now is Yang Fang’s troops.

The Zhou Dynasty was in great shortage of weapons, armor and other equipment and supplies. Such an army had to deal with the Huns, which were ten times larger than itself. It would have had little chance of winning a three-on-one battle outside the city. Now it had to defeat a larger force with a smaller one, which was an impossible task.

But faced with these ministers and the national conditions of the Zhou Dynasty, Chu Shizhao had no choice.

Moreover, Chu Shizhao has already thought it through. He has simulated the situation in which Wu Zhen took the initiative to attack and the Liangzhou army took control of Chang'an. Even if Chu Shizhao had already held a very high position at that time, he would probably be like he is now, unable to stop the turning of the gears of history.

Because this was not Wu Zhen's idea alone, but the common idea of ​​all the civil and military officials in Chang'an as well as those in power.

But no matter what the situation is or how the outcome turns out, Chu Shizhao has no choice but to fight hard.

No matter how powerful the simulation is, it is still a simulation. If you want to see the real results and gain actual benefits, you still have to make decisions in reality.

At this point, Chu Shizhao had to fight hard for his future, his own status, and the benefits of consolidating his position during the chaos.

Moreover, Chu Shizhao was also afraid that he had been simulating and reasoning for too long, and was too good at choosing the right path, thus losing the hunter's instinct to seek wealth and fame in danger.

You should know that in the several simulations in which Chu Shizhao completed reversals, there was almost always a shocking battle that was difficult for ordinary people to replicate.

After Emperor Yongjin issued the order, Chu Shizhao immediately left the imperial city and went to the Sanfu Army to reorganize his troops.

Wang Huai returned to his mansion covered in dust and dirt. He always felt that he had been tricked by Chu Shizhao.

Now he has put himself in a deadlock.

Wang Huai was being led by Chu Shizhao like this. He even doubted whether Chu Shizhao wanted to fight from the beginning, but said that he didn't want to fight because he didn't want to expose his intentions at the beginning. Now that he was dragged into the water, he would not act anymore.

When the people inside and outside Chang'an learned the news that Chang'an was under siege, they showed an unexpected unity. Many people spontaneously began to help the government troops do what they could, such as setting up defenses on the top of the city walls. Some children began throwing stones outside the city, but their strength was too small to throw them out.

At this time, those large families who have been adept at infighting and dividing their own interests have also generously donated some money and food.

It’s not that the big families have too much money and grain, but once Chang'an is captured by the Huns, all the money and grain will be gone.

The big families can still clearly distinguish between giving 30% or giving all. What's more, Chang'an is the hometown of many famous families in Jingzhao. If they really leave their homes and move south to the south and are looked down upon by the local gentry in the south, it will be a great shame and humiliation for these famous families.

The Zhou Dynasty had scouts who were good at hiding and disguising themselves as spies. They had already asked for help from the military governors in various parts of the north before the Huns surrounded the city.

Huan Jie of Liangzhou and Li Jin of Jinyang both took a stand to support the king at the first opportunity.

However, Chang'an has no way of receiving replies from either side for the time being, so it has no way of estimating when the reinforcements will arrive. It has to rely on the instincts of the generals to coordinate and estimate the time of arrival of the reinforcements.

The Zhou Dynasty deployed its troops across the country, slowly forming a pincer attack, as if it was going to swallow up the entire Hun army that was besieging Chang'an in one gulp.

At this moment.

In the Xiongnu camp, a tall Mongolian nobleman gently sketched with the pen in his hand.

Today, most of the tribes on the grassland have been gathered by the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu has become a general term for these nomadic peoples in the north, which includes many nomadic groups, which has created such a massive situation.

The Mongolian nobleman looked at the person in the portrait and fell into deep thought.

Chu Shizhao.

Let me test your quality.

(End of this chapter)