From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 1038

In this night talk, Zhou Yuan first explained the current and future war situation of the entire Jin Dynasty thoroughly and clearly, making sure that they all understood it before moving on to the next step.

The next step is mainly to deal with the defense issues of Xihai and Gansu Town. Song Wu and Li He are required to make judgments based on the actual situation and come up with a complete defense strategy.

This is a great test for them, because Li He is a general rather than a commander. He often considers matters such as military formations, marching speed, and logistics supply, and generally does not involve strategic decisions.

Song Wu really has no experience. Although he has been the commander-in-chief of the regiment for more than a year and has also visited Goryeo, he has not really made independent decisions.

But at least he has thought about this aspect, which is better than Li He.

"The defense of Gansu Town and Xihai must be considered as a whole and cannot be separated."

"The two places are adjacent to each other, and the strong passes are close to each other. We should form a tight defense line around the three strongholds of Suzhou Guard, Liangzhou Guard, and Xining Guard to support each other and make up for each other's shortcomings."

"According to the previous method of guarding Datong Town, we should build strong walls and clear the fields, leaving no resources for the enemy, and the army will cooperate with the Portuguese cannon to defend the strong passes."

"In this way, the opponent's cavalry will not be able to play its advantages, and the Western Region lacks siege equipment, so the war will enter our real rhythm."

"The other party's news is slow, and it has not been completely unified. It will take at least more than two months to wait for the real attack. . "

"Let's take the Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15 as the node. If they launch an attack, we only need to hold on for 45 days. After October, it may snow in the northwest. At that time, there will be no grass, their horses will have nothing to eat, and logistics supply will be more difficult. There is really no way, so we can only retreat. "

"To sum up, it is to build a strong wall and clear the fields, three guards to defend together, and long-term consumption until the other side withdraws. "

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "It seems that I shouldn't worry too much about you. The strategic plan has been thought through very thoroughly."

Song Wu's face flushed a little. He was praised in front of so many seniors, and he was still a little excited.

"I'm going to pour cold water on you."

Xiong Kuohai suddenly said in a deep voice: "Since the actions of Yarkand are behind the shadow of the Tsarist Empire, and the intelligence of the Tsarist Empire is likely to be provided by the royal family, then should we make a bold assumption that there are ghosts among the defenders of Gansu and Xihai?"

Song Wu took a breath of cold air when he said this.

During the critical period of defense, if the traitor makes trouble with the food, or cooperates with the outside, then it will be completely finished.

For a moment, his face became extremely ugly.

Xiong Kuohai said: "So after we arrive in the northwest, the first thing we have to do is to clean up our internal affairs and make it solid and foolproof."

He looked at Zhou Yuan and said in a deep voice: "The situation in the northwest is complicated. The defenders have been entrenched for generations and have formed a root system. It is very difficult to dig out and shake them. I am not strong enough alone, so I apply... to transfer Ye Mian, the pacification envoy of the South, to go to the northwest with me to preside over the overall intelligence situation."

Zhou Yuan nodded slowly, but couldn't help laughing: "That old thing Ye Mian, who wanted to retire and enjoy his life, was directly taken to the northwest by you. I am afraid he will take away all your eighteen generations of ancestors. Say hello once!"

Xiong Kuohai said with a smile: "Who made that old guy smart? He has a deeper insight into human nature than me, and knows the composition of the aristocratic families better than me. It will definitely be of great use to bring him over."

"As for the harsh environment in the northwest and the hard fighting... Damn, now is the time for him to serve the country, okay? People who have enjoyed most of their lives should also move."

"At worst, if we win the battle, you can be generous and give him a title or something."

Zhou Yuan nodded and said: "You can make promises, anyway, I won't promise anything, and I will reward you according to your merits when the time comes."

Xiong Kuohai couldn't help laughing.

And at this moment, Mingrui's voice came from outside.

"Master, Huwei Hou and Yongguan Hou want to see you."

This made Zhou Yuan stare.

It's fucking late at night, why are these two old guys not guarding their own home and running to my place?

"Let them in!"

Zhou Yuan thought, if they don't obey, let Min Tianrui beat them up, anyway, Min Tianrui is old.

Obviously, Marquis Yongguan and Marquis Huwei didn't expect so many people here.

But when they saw the map hanging on the wall, which was already densely marked, they knew in their hearts that they were discussing business all night.

"Generals, thank you for your hard work."

Marquis Huwei Ma Guoyuan clasped his fists and sighed, "I hope I didn't disturb you late at night."

After all, they were veterans, and everyone was very polite and exchanged pleasantries.

Zhou Yuan said, "What is the matter with the two marquises visiting you late at night?"

Marquis Huwei glanced at Song Wu, hesitated for a moment, and then took out a folded cloth from his arms.

He handed it to Zhou Yuan and said, "Please take a look, Marshal."

Zhou Yuan frowned and opened it, and the others also leaned over.

On the white cloth, the black words were clear and strong: "The Tsarist Empire invaded the Jurchens, Liaodong was in danger, Yarkand was about to be unified, the situation in the northwest was upside down, the Great Jin was facing unprecedented challenges, and the country was facing unprecedented difficulties."

"We are old generals, retired for many years, indulged in luxury, but it is difficult to cool our blood. So I wrote this letter of challenge, took the initiative to volunteer, and followed Song Wu to the battlefield to defend the northwest of the Great Jin, and I will never regret it even if I die."

On the left, there were rows of scarlet names written in blood.

"Marquis of Huwei Ma Guoyuan."

"Marquis of Yongguan Wu Taizhu."

"Marquis of Yiwu..."

"Marquis of Jingwei..."

There were thirteen names, including marquises and earls, all of whom were old generals over fifty years old, and all of whom were heroes who had made great contributions to the Jin Dynasty.

"My two uncles..."

Song Wu was a little anxious, and hurriedly said: "You are so old, it is enough for you to stand up and speak for us, why bother running to the northwest again."

He knew very well that once these veterans went to the northwest, they would almost never come back.

"Stop talking!"

Hu Weihou gritted his teeth and said, "We didn't know you were here. We quietly volunteered and followed you on the day of the expedition."

"But since you are here, we have nothing to hide. Your uncles have made up their minds, otherwise they wouldn't have written this blood letter."

At this moment, his face was serious and his eyes were firm. He gritted his teeth and said, "We are also soldiers! We have honor in our hearts! We also want to contribute more to Dajin!"

"Your grandfather is dead, your parents and uncles are all dead, and we, as elders, can't let you go to the northwest alone."

"Even if it costs us our lives, we will help you and help you grow up!"

At the end, his voice choked up.

Yongguan Hou knelt down, clasped his hands together, and shouted: "Marshal! We have made up our minds! Please help us!"

Zhou Yuan sighed and said generously: "Please stand up, both marquises. One of you is lame and the other is blind. Don't go to the northwest."

"Except for your passion, there is no use for you to go. Although I, Zhou Yuan, usually call you old dogs, I still respect you seniors in my heart."

"Let's forget about this matter and don't mention it again."

Yongguan Hou suddenly shouted: "Marshal! The northwest is not easy to defend! It must be a long and fierce battle!"

"We are useless, but as long as we are there, the morale of the army will not be disturbed!"

"Even we old people have gone, and the young children will not retreat."

Huwei Hou also said solemnly: "Although I am old, I still have experience. The situation over there is complicated, but don't forget that my surname is Ma. I am from Xihai. There... Ma family, I have connections! I can calm the situation!"

This sentence made Zhou Yuan very excited.

Seeing the determined eyes of the two old men, Zhou Yuan found it hard to refuse.

So he could only say in a deep voice: "Convince Song Wu, and you can go."