On April 23rd of the fourth year of Xuanhe, that is, the thirteenth day after the army set out from Tokyo, Tong Guan, the Xuanfu envoy of Hebei, and Cai You, the deputy envoy of Xuanfu, personally led the army, which already had two tenths of the officers and soldiers, to march. The dwindled army arrived at Gaoyang Pass. Some officers and soldiers who have neither a strong will to fight nor a strict disciplined organization cannot adapt to the life of the army and the arduous march. It is inevitable for them to desert.However, although the number of officers and soldiers officially included in the establishment has decreased rapidly, the number of casual personnel marching with the army has continued to expand.Most of them are porters who are forced to carry luggage and supplies along the way, as well as monopoly merchants who are directly or indirectly introduced by the transfer office, who come to contract military commodities, and batches of people who automatically approach the troops to do small business with officers and soldiers. There are also some retailers who are closely related to the officers and soldiers. They still don’t know where to start.This large group of people filled the quota for desertion and strengthened their momentum, so that when the army arrived at Gaoyang Pass, it was still a mighty army ordered to conquer.

According to the order of the Deputy Xuanfu envoy, when the army entered the pass, they would hold a show-off ceremony to boost morale.Although it was their own city, not a city they had taken from the enemy, it was usually only in the latter case, and a city of particular importance, that such a military ceremony was necessary.But from the point of view of the deputy envoy, this small difference seems to be insignificant, and everything can be created to serve their needs.They now need to use this ceremony to adjust their boring marching life and to entertain themselves.Long-distance marching, collecting dust and servants, is a hard job after all.Although there are local officials who are sincerely entertaining them along the way, they can't wait to scrape off the land they belong to to entertain the chief, but the barren border land has already been cut three feet high by them, and there is not much left. How can it be compared with the bustling Tokyo?Cai You complained in her heart:

"I knew it would be such a hardship, so I didn't take this trip. This is Wang Jiangming (Wang Fu's character) who picked me for a good job. He is lying in the field by himself, making people happy." To be honest, as long as there is a errand to take, no matter whether it is official or private, whether it is a big or small errand, Cai You, the deputy envoy of Xuanfu, would have been the first to slip away. Relying on the upright blowing and beating by the queen's junrong, along the way, the sound of the sheng and the reeds and the sound of golden drums, the entrance ceremony was held like a procession in a competition to welcome the gods, but it looked mighty and lively.Tong Guanqu treated Cai You warmly with all his hospitality as a landlord.In fact, Hebei Xuanfu envoy Tong Guan is the highest-ranking local governor of Gaoyangguan. If he is the host, how can Hebei Xuanfu envoy Cai You be a guest?Why let Tong Guan entertain him?However, according to the force of habit, Tong Guan likes to regard himself as the master on any occasion, and he will overwhelm the host whenever he has the opportunity. In addition, he knows that Cai You is a fat mollusk that only relies on the prosperity and wealth of the officialdom to feed him. The leeches that suck blood for a living and the crickets who are too lazy to squirm can't bear a bit of grievance.He must take the initiative to dig a lot of traps for him, and let the boneless worm fall into the traps softly, so that he can free up his hands and feet to do "seriousness".He had a lot of serious things to do when he came to the front line, but he felt that this "deputy envoy" was in the way.As soon as Cai You left Tokyo, he had long forgotten his mission, but Tong Guan always firmly remembered that this slacker was specially sent by the government to "monitor" his actions.

After "killing" into Gaoyang Pass, Tong Guan ordered the army to rest for three days, and generously rewarded the officers and soldiers. In name, order the Western Army, which is on standby in Xiongzhou, to divide into two groups: Zhong Shidao leads the Jingyuan, Qinfeng, and Xihe armies from the east route, and Liu Yanqing leads the Huanqing, Yanyan, and Shengjie armies from the west route to Xiongzhou respectively The city advanced towards the Baigou River, and drove to the border to station in the village, waiting for the orders of the Xuanfu envoy. The Western Army has been stationed in Xiongzhou for more than a month, and sooner or later they have to leave the city to go to the front line. The intention of this order is that it does not leave any trace on the surface, but in fact it unknowingly devalues ​​the status of the teacher. , pulling him down from the position of commander in chief of the entire army, and turning him into a commander of a local war zone, putting him and Liu Yanqing on a par.Zhong Shidao, who has always been very concerned about power and status, of course could not tolerate such an order, so he pushed it back that night, and said angrily that he was in command of the entire army under the imperial pen worship. Or relegated, but also subject to the imperial pen.

There are good reasons for cultivating the way of being a teacher. Tong Guan knows that this order has been given too much. It may be okay for others, but dealing with the way of being a teacher cannot be so simple and rude.He complained to his staff, temporarily withdrew his order, and said that after a military meeting in Xiongzhou, he would decide the actions of the army. Six days later, the deputy envoy of Xuanfu once again "killed" into Taozhou City in a show of force, invited Zhixiongzhou and Shen to welcome the banquet, and held the first military meeting that night. The meeting was full of tension and gunpowder.Zhong Shidao preemptively expressed his attitude towards the war against Liao Dynasty with clear and unmistakable words as soon as he came up.

"The decision to conquer the Liao Dynasty, Shi Dao and the entire army have never heard of it." Zhong Shi Dao waved his weighty hand, emphasizing his tone, "Once the imperial court rashly uses troops, Shi Dao will be forced to take the post of capital control. Shi Dao The only way to do things is to do one's best and be diligent. If you make an inch of progress, this is the spirit of the country and the blessing of the official family. Teachers dare not take credit for it. If things don't go well, there is a slight discussion. I don’t want to be blamed. Today, at the opening of the sect, the teacher explained this clearly in front of the generals, so as not to have any further words in the future.”

Ever since Xiongchuan Propaganda Department kept sending documents to Tokyo and quarreling with Zhao Long, Tong Guan knew early on that Zhong Shidao disapproved of this war.He also knew very well that Zhong Shidao is a man, and he didn't have any hope of softening him at the military meeting, which was expected.But now that Zhong Shidao said so frankly, he did not leave any room for him or the court. The words "responsibility and responsibility" were simply pointing at the nose and cursing others, which made him very embarrassed. "Today's matter, the imperial court...has long since made a plan," Tong Guan hecked for a long time before he said something that didn't match his style, "The imperial court's use of festivals to control the capital is nothing more than borrowing festivals to control the capital." The prestige of the public is used to subdue the crowd. The success or failure of the matter is the responsibility of the imperial court."

Tong Guan said this very reluctantly.His original purpose was to belittle the teacher's morality, but in the end he raised his worth instead.Zhong Shidao was eager for Tong Guan to say this, and immediately went on to nail it firmly, saying: "The imperial court is responsible for the success or failure of the Liao affair. All the generals understood this sentence. The teacher's teachings are about to be revised and published in the memorial. The Taiwei's words about the teacher's teachings must be written in the memorial. The Taiwei will be surprised." Tong Guan was promoted to Grand Master last year for his "merit" in suppressing Fang La, and he was granted the title of Duke of Chu. Currently, he is being called "Xuan Xiang" unprecedentedly by the officials of the Xuanfu Department, which makes him feel elated.Now Zhong Shidao completely ignores these facts, and still calls Tong Guan ten years ago by the official title he had when he came to the Western Army as a supervisor.This appellation was sufficient contempt if it did not express a particularly affectionate relationship with him from his old kinsmen.This made Tong Guan feel a great insult, and the officials of the Xuanfu envoy were even more indignant.

Then the meeting moved on to the first item on the agenda—the plan for the marching route.Tong Guan still insisted on the order he issued at Gaoyang Pass.Although Zhong Shidao agreed to march in two ways, he stubbornly opposed Liu Yanqing and him dividing the two armies.The reason is still the same, his capital control is personally sealed by the official imperial pen, and the capital control must command the whole army, and cannot be divided into one way.If there is any replacement, the imperial pen shall prevail. At the beginning of the meeting, it was a stage where teachers were aggressive and arrogant.

"Jie Xiazhi puts the imperial pen as the most important thing. How can we not divide the unified army and go to the front without the imperial pen?" Tong Guan smiled treacherously at Cai You and asked, "Liu Taiwei, what do you think?" Liu Yanqing was overwhelmed by the momentum of Zhongshi Dao, and Ai Ai was speechless for a while. Things became a bit rigid, and the two main staff arranged by Tong Guan in advance, Liu Wei, a scholar of the ancient temple, and Zhao Liangsi, a direct scholar of Youtuge, took advantage of the situation and proposed a compromise plan: the army would still divide into two routes, and the west route would be led by Xin Xingzong. , the East Road was changed to be led by Yang Keshi.Both Xin and Yang were generals promoted by Tong Guan. Xin Xingzong had been under Liu Yanqing's command for a long time, but Yang Keshi was a capable general under Zhong Shidao's subordinates.This kind of arrangement still has the fact that the Taoism of the teacher and Liu Yanqing are divided into two ways, but in form it avoids the phenomenon that Liu Yanqing and the Taoism of the teacher are separate, which makes the Taoism of the teacher easier to accept.Liu Fan, who has always played the role of mediator between Tong Guan and Zhong Shidao, took great pains to come up with this plan.If the two sides have nothing to say, this one will be passed.

A slight concession on the issue of dividing troops and unifying generals is part of Tong Guan's strategy of "what you want to take, you must first give."His fundamental purpose is to reduce the commander-in-chief of the teacher's morality, restrain his activities, and prevent him from arbitrarily asserting himself and doing anything wrong.At this time, he saw that Zhong Shidao had gained a firm foothold due to the initial victory, and when he was about to propose a specific strategic plan for using troops to fight, he showed his trump card. "The imperial court suspends the people and punishes crimes. There is no war if there is a levy." He completely assumed the posture of a proselytizing envoy, and announced majesticly, "After all the armies arrive at the front line, we must understand the deep meaning of the imperial court and the envoy, and strictly fight against them. Soldiers are not allowed to fight with the Liao army with weapons. This envoy has printed a large number of banners and flags to attract Liao people to come and surrender. After a short stop, the Xuanfu Division can distribute them to the troops. If the generals meet with the Liao soldiers Then, you can only use the banner to appease, don't use troops, and provoke yourself." A 100,000-strong army was transferred from the northwest border region to the Hebei battlefield from afar, and they faced off with the Liao army in Jiahe, and the war opportunity was imminent.Unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, the Xuanfu envoy himself would suddenly announce a ban, forbidding to fight with the Liao army with weapons.Since fighting is not allowed, what are they doing here?Could it be that if you are full of dry rice, come to visit the ground in Hebei?After hearing this order, the generals couldn't help but looked at each other in blank dismay. Tong Guan saw the confused Biaoqian of the generals, and further explained to everyone: "Since Liao and Jin used troops, the Liao army has repeatedly attacked, and the five capitals have lost four of them. Morale is low and people's hearts are disintegrated. The court is familiar with this. Wherever the army goes, it only needs to reveal the banner, and the Liao army will naturally look forward to it. Worship. The momentum of breaking the bamboo will be achieved in Russia. All generals, obey this order!" He reiterated the prohibition with an emphasis on his tone: "This envoy's words follow the law. If the army dares to kill a man and a rider, he will be punished. military law." "No provocation, self-defense" does not exclude self-defense counterattacks, "killing a man and a rider must be done according to military law", which means that we have to bow our heads and let the enemy slaughter at will.These two sentences are also logically contradictory.The benevolence and righteousness of this Song Xiang formula naturally cannot convince the generals, Yang Keshi couldn't help asking: "If soldiers don't fight, it's a great virtue of the court." He, Yang Keshi, who had been a soldier for half his life, had never heard of such a bizarre order. Benevolence and righteousness, come to kill each other with weapons, is it true that our army can't do it with our hands tied?" Yang Keshi's question, together with his sarcastic expression, was supported by most of the generals present.But it greatly angered Tong Guan. "As long as our army doesn't provoke you." Tong Guan sternly said, "The Liao army has no reason to fight with weapons. This envoy is very sure of this. All generals should strictly obey the orders of the generals. If anyone deliberately disobeys, he will be punished by himself." Under the control of all, all will be judged as crimes against the decree, and this emissary will never bend the law for favoritism, and forgive you lightly." This is too serious, and Zhong Shidao also changed his color, and asked: "The Taiwei made such a decision, but it also came from the temple's calculations?" This question fell into a child's trick, and he sneered again, but it was no longer the cry of a defeated capon, but the sinister howl of a wolf.He nodded to Cai You again, then turned to Master Zhong and said: "Jiexia likes the imperial pen, and I can see the loyalty of loving you. Now I invite Deputy Envoy Cai to apply for the "Three Strategies of the Imperial Pen", which was handed over to me by the official on the day of leaving the teacher. After listening to it, you can rest assured .” Tong Guan only needs Cai You's cooperation when dealing with Zhong Shidao.With tacit understanding in mind, Cai You really took out the imperial brush from his bosom, and began to read with a sonorous tone. With the imperial pen as evidence (it was also affixed with the "Xuanhe Emperor's Seal" that Zhong Shidao is familiar with), the principal and deputy envoys each supplemented the words that were not written down in the document but were admonished orally by the officials.For these direct and indirect brilliant words of heaven, what else can be disputed?It turned out that he was just a showman, and he was not allowed to fight against the enemy!His command was stripped away long before the war, and he became a dead sheep.His momentum suddenly shrank.Tong Guan saw that his goal had been fully achieved, and Zhong Shidao was beaten to pieces, so he couldn't help laughing again, this time the laughter was like a donkey using tricks to overturn its rider to the ground. neighing. After the meeting.Zhong Shidao asked Ma Kuo to be transferred to the headquarters to work.Tong Guan refused politely: "There is a real understanding of people under the festival, but my secretary has other orders for Ma Zichong, and it is difficult to obey." So he imitated the tone of an official, and continued, "I will ignore this matter." Even such a small request was rejected, Zhong Shidao left the venue angrily.He understood that Tong Guan's arrogance this time was definitely not comparable to being a nominal supervisor in the Western Army that day.In both name and reality.All turned upside down. Indeed, this childlike arrogance has a basis that cannot be understood by a teacher.It turns out that Tong Guancheng has a well-thought-out plan, and has secretly laid out a clever move. This move will not only block the chances of the Western Army to make meritorious deeds, but also deprive Cai You of the right to speak in the war against Liao.Now everything is ready, only the east wind is owed.He firmly believes that once the success is complete, on the day of victory, he will monopolize the victory by himself, making the teacher stumble and sigh, helpless, making Cai You dumbfounded and at a loss, and making the officials cry secretly, making him understand that he sent to monitor him The Tongguan Cai You turned out to be nothing more than a "Mahula" that he let him play with between his palms and belly. Mahula is a kind of doll that is made of clay, or more exquisitely carved in wood or cast in metal in the shape of a child.In fact, from the first day the government sent Cai You to monitor him, he had already given Cai You this glorious crown among his cronies and staff. How much he looked down on Cai You!