Meishan Su family, Su Yun is the most virtuous

Chapter 427 Tongguan!

Within Tongguan.

Zhe Keshi stood in front of the hanging northwest map with a frown, looking at the location of Tongguan on the map.

Tongguan controls the Yellow River ferry and is a strategic location for the three provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan.

During the Tang Dynasty, Tongguan was like a key, guarding the core area of ​​the Tang Dynasty.

In fact, Tongguan is not only a passage between the Central Plains and Guanzhong, but also a gateway connecting the Western Regions and the Central Plains. The Tang Dynasty had many exchanges with the Western Regions, and people from the Western Regions often came to the Tang Dynasty to study and do business.

The Tang Dynasty had to guard against turmoil in the Western Regions while maintaining communication with them. Therefore, Tongguan was like a joint that could develop eastward or westward, and was a strategic detour with extremely high military value.

At this time, although the value of Tongguan had declined somewhat, that was the time when the northwest was stable. Now, after Su Yun raised troops in the northwest and gained the upper hand, Tongguan became the focus of contention between the two sides.

Although Tongguan was still in the hands of the Song Dynasty at this time, the road from Tongguan to Xi'an was under the control of the Jingsai Army, which caused great trouble to Zhe Keshi.

——To enter Chang'an, you need to pass through the road actually controlled by the Jingsai Army, and there are many sections on this road that are suitable for ambushes!

Although he has now gathered the reinforcements from Luoyang and his own troops, which add up to 40,000 to 50,000 people, Zhe Keshi knows very well that Tongguan is so important that no one can ignore it and even regards it as the place for the decisive battle!
This may be a milestone decisive battle between Su Yun and the imperial court. If they lose this battle, the imperial court will not be able to rescue Chang'an for a while. Once Chang'an falls completely into Su Yun's hands, the situation in the northwest will be so corrupt that it will exceed everyone's imagination.

Zhe Keshi knew very well that with Su Yun's ability, once he won the war, Chang'an would be in his pocket. And if Chang'an changed hands, Su Yun would also completely change the control of the northwest.

Haha, by that time, the entire Northwest will be firmly controlled by Su Yun like Suide Army and Yan'an Prefecture!

The corner of Zhe Keshi's eye twitched.

My heart also beat uncontrollably.

The State of Qin was originally established because Qin Fuzi was granted the title of Qinyi for his contribution in raising horses for King Xiao of Zhou. At that time, its territory was relatively small and it was only a small vassal state.

During the reign of Duke Xiang of Qin, he was officially named a vassal and granted the land west of Mount Qishan for his contribution in escorting King Ping of Zhou to the east.

At this time, the territory actually controlled by the Qin State roughly included parts of present-day eastern Gansu and western Shaanxi, mainly in the area east of the Long Mountains and the Wei River basin.

Its specific range is roughly from Baoji in Shaanxi in the east to the west of Tianshui in Gansu in the west, from Qinling Mountains in the south to south of Guyuan in Ningxia in the north.

This area has fertile land, a certain agricultural foundation, and a dangerous terrain, which has certain strategic advantages and laid the foundation for the future development and expansion of the Qin State.

At this moment, the northwestern territory has included the areas where the Qin State started!

In other words, by then Su Yun will have a fertile ground for achieving success!

Zhe Keshi had followed Su Yun before, and he knew how talented and ambitious Su Yun was. Once he truly controlled the entire Northwest, coupled with the fact that he already had numerous civil and military officials and an army of 100,000 elite soldiers, this man already had the aura of a powerful leader who could compete for the Central Plains!
Zhe Keshi's mind was shaken for a moment, but then he came to his senses and quickly turned his thoughts back to how to rescue Chang'an. While he was thinking, he suddenly saw Zhe Kexing coming like the wind.

Seeing that Zhe Kexing looked anxious, Zhe Keshi realized that something important had happened and asked quickly, "What happened?"

Zhe Kexing lowered his voice and said, "The government has reinstated Zhong Zhen, who has been retired for several years, and appointed him as the Northwest Pacifier, in charge of Northwest affairs!"

Zhe Keshi's Wen Yan's expression also changed.

As the saying goes, "competitors are enemies." There were many generals in the Northern Song Dynasty, such as the Zhe family, the Zhong family, the Yang family, etc. These families were all generals of the Song Dynasty. Although their common enemy was the civil service group, the generals were not always harmonious with each other. After all, everyone wanted to gain a higher status and more resources in the court.

As the political situation in the Northern Song Dynasty changed, conflicts of interest were inevitable among different generals as they competed for limited official positions, military power, court rewards and other resources.

The feud between the Zhe family and the Zhong family was as long as the war between the Northern Song Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty.

Because unlike other generals, the Zhong family and the Zhe family both have important military positions in the northwest border.

People who compete for food from the same pot will naturally have more grudges.

Since the Li family started the war with the Song Dynasty, there has been a certain competition between the two sides for military command and military merit.

This difference is particularly evident among the older generation.

More than ten years ago, Zhong Yan, a general of the Zhong family, had repeatedly disagreed with Zhe Jimin and other generals of the Zhe family on border affairs. Zhong Yan advocated actively attacking Western Xia and expanding the territory of the Northern Song Dynasty, while Zhe Jimin was more inclined to take a steady approach and strengthen border defenses.

The two sides argued endlessly, and at one point they even attacked each other.

Behind this strategic disagreement, of course, is not just a dispute over the pros and cons of strategy, but also hides the considerations of both sides on the allocation of military resources and the attribution of military merits.

Haha, in this kind of strategic matter, whoever can take the lead can control most of the military resources and military merits, and the children of that family can enjoy all the resources of the Song Dynasty court that are pouring into the northwest like a tide in the next few decades!

Originally, Zhe Keshi believed that the previous generation of the Zhong family had died out, and there were three people in this generation who were considered quite outstanding, namely Zhong Pu, and the two brothers Zhong Shidao. Now that Zhong Pu has been captured by Su Yun, it can be said that this person has been useless, and the two brothers Zhong Shidao are still young, and it will take time for them to rise. Then, the Northwest affairs will definitely be dominated by their Zhe family. Unexpectedly, the court has now reinstated the veteran Zhong Zhen!

Moreover, he was appointed as the Northwest Pacifier and directly led the affairs of the entire Northwest. In this way, once Zhong Zhen made contributions in the war to defend the Northwest, the Zhong family would rise again.

With Zhong Zhen leading the Northwestern affairs, the Zhong Shidao brothers will certainly be valued and given power. In just a few years, two more great talents will emerge in the Zhong family!

If this is the case, it is estimated that in the next ten to twenty years, the Zhong family will occupy most of the resources in the northwest!
Previously, the Zhong family had been overwhelmed by the Zhong Yan, and now there is another Zhong Diagnosis...

Zhe Keshi's face turned gloomy.

Seeing that Zhe Keshi didn't say anything, Zhe Kexing immediately said anxiously: "Brother, please say something. If the diagnosis is really coming, then our Zhe family..."

"Shut up!" Zhe Keshi said in a deep voice.

Zhe Kexing sighed and sat down heavily on the chair.

Seeing this, Zhe Keshi said, "I understand what you are thinking, but the current situation in the northwest does not necessarily require us to take the lead, and taking the lead may not necessarily be a good thing."

Zhe Kexing's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "Brother, do you mean that Zhong Zhen will also suffer a great loss at the hands of Su Yun?" Zhe Keshi slapped his thigh and said excitedly, "Yes, Su Yun is so cruel, and Zhong Zhen is not a very powerful person. He is not even as good as Zhong Yan, so he will definitely suffer a great loss at the hands of Su Yun.

If this happens, the hope of the Zhong family to rise again may not come true, and it may even destroy the last glimmer of hope. In this case, the court can only rely on our Zhe family in the northwest. Ha! It seems that this is not only not a bad thing, but a great thing! "

Zhe Keshi smiled meaningfully upon hearing this. He paced back and forth in the tent with his hands behind his back, and then said, "Pass the order down. The entire army should stay put for the time being and closely monitor the movements of the Jingsai Army. Do not act rashly."

Zhe Kexing nodded in understanding and quickly walked out of the tent to convey the order.

At this time, outside Tongguan, Zhongzhen was leading an elite force and rushing over day and night.

When the troops were sent to Tongguan, Zhe Keshi personally led a group of generals out of the city to welcome them.

Zhe Keshi smiled and bowed respectfully to Zhong Zhen: "General Zhong is here to take charge of this matter. It is a blessing for the Northwest. We will definitely cooperate with you to the utmost."

Zhong Zhen nodded slightly, with a bit of arrogance in his eyes: "General Zhe, you are too polite. I hope we can work together to resist the rebels this time."

The conversation between the two seemed harmonious, but there was an invisible smell of gunpowder in the air.

That night, Zhong Zhen held a military meeting in Tongguan.

He bluntly pointed out that Zhe Keshi's previous strategy of keeping his troops inactive was too conservative: "Now the rebels are so arrogant, if we don't take the initiative to attack, they will only become stronger.

I intend to immediately reorganize the troops and launch an attack on the Jingsai Army, opening up the road to Chang'an in one fell swoop."

Zhe Keshi frowned slightly. He didn't expect that this kind of diagnosis would give him a warning right from the start. It turned out that this person was not friendly. However, he was not someone who would be easily dealt with. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Master Zhong, the road from Tongguan to Chang'an is complicated. The Jingsai Army must have set up many ambushes. If we attack rashly at this time, I'm afraid we will fall into the enemy's trap."

Zhong Zhen waved his hand disapprovingly and snorted, "General Zhe, being too cautious will only lead to missed opportunities.

I have fought no less than a hundred battles with the Xixia people. Even the Xixia people are afraid of me. How could they be afraid of the Jingsai Army? Unlike some people who are timid and hesitant to move forward.

I have my own plan to defeat the enemy, and I will set out tomorrow morning. No need to say more."

Seeing that Zhong Zhen was so stubborn and self-righteous, Zhe Keshi sneered in his heart, with a hint of gloating in his eyes.

He stopped arguing and just silently thought about how to quickly take control of the situation in the northwest after the failure of the Zhong family.

The next morning, Zhongzhen personally led an army of 20,000 and marched towards the section of road controlled by the Jingsai Army.

Zhe Keshi led the remaining troops to garrison Tongguan. Standing on the city wall, he looked at Zhong Zhen's receding figure and said indignantly, "Zhong Zhen is too stubborn and self-righteous, and he looks down on others like this. It's really disgusting!"

Zhe Keshi laughed when he heard this and said, "He is so careless and eager to make achievements. I am afraid he will fall flat on his face. Let's just wait and see."

Zhe Kexing nodded and said, "Brother, you have also seen those two brothers who are like teachers. What do you think?"

Zhe Keshi thought about the two young men following behind the clinician, nodded and said, "They are two very steady young men. With some experience, they can become great. However, they have to get through this stage first."

Zhe Kexing said with a gloating look, "I'm afraid that after this great defeat, the Zhong family will never rise again. Even if they become more outstanding, the officials of the court will no longer trust them."

While the two were discussing, the clinician who had just left Tongguan was talking to his two nephews.

Zhong Shidao was a little puzzled and said, "Uncle, you were talking to Zhe Keshi inside the pass, but it was not in line with your usual style. I am a little confused."

Zhong Zhen smiled and said, "Do you think that I am too arrogant and too lenient towards Zhe Keshi?"

Zhong Shidao said quickly: "Uncle, you naturally have your plan, but your nephew is a little confused."

Zhong Zhen stroked his beard, looked into the distance with deep eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Logically speaking, the court asked me to take charge of the affairs of the northwest this time, and I should pretend to be friendly with the Zhe family.

But have you ever thought about it? The Zhe family and my Zhong family have had grudges for many years. This time I have got this opportunity. If we win a big victory, the Zhong family will rise again. For the Zhe family, it will be the sky falling. Therefore, no matter whether I am hypocritical or arrogant, it will not change the fact that Zhe Keshi will not cooperate with us.

Therefore, I simply let him stay in Tongguan and bring reinforcements from Luoyang. I now have 50,000 to 60,000 troops at my disposal. Even without Zhe Keshi, I can still save Chang'an.

Moreover, if I continue to show weakness, I will be constrained in all future actions. Only by showing a tough attitude can I intimidate them and prevent them from acting rashly. "

Zhong Shidao suddenly realized, thought for a moment and said: "But if my uncle acts like this, if we lose this battle, the Zhe family will definitely add insult to injury."

Zhong Zhen laughed loudly upon hearing this, his laughter was filled with a bit of heroism and confidence: "Master, you have followed me in battles for many years, why are you so hesitant?

I did not act rashly in sending out troops this time. I had already sent people to investigate secretly. Although the Jingsai Army occupied a strategic position, its forces were dispersed.

As long as we take them by surprise, we will be able to make a breakthrough.

Besides, even if I try to be lenient, if we fail, Zhe Keshi will not add insult to injury, right?"

Zhong Shizhong clenched his fists, his eyes full of fighting spirit: "Uncle is right! This time we must let the Zhe family see that the Zhong family is the backbone of the northwest!"

Zhong Zhen looked at his two nephews with relief and patted them on the shoulders: "You must be careful on this expedition.

If the war goes well, the Zhong family will return to its peak.

You two are promising talents with enough experience. You should make more achievements this time and strive to be able to take charge of your own affairs.

So even if I die on the battlefield, it doesn’t matter.”

Zhong Shidao said quickly: "Uncle, please don't say such unlucky words. You are the pillar of our Zhong family. You must not make any mistakes."

Zhong Zhen laughed, then frowned slightly and said, "The traitor Su Yun should not be underestimated. You must be extra careful and not be careless!"

(End of this chapter)