Chapter 253 Helan Mountain Gap

After Zhang Xun received the task, he rode a fast horse and went to Helan Mountain with two officials from the Imperial City Department.

At the same time, Zhang Maoze mentioned to Empress Cao that Wang Anshi's wife 'Wu Qiong' was good at writing, and said that Wu Qiong was a good wife of the young master.

In about ten days, Empress Cao would hold a banquet in the palace and invite many wives of nobles and ministers.

But she had never paid close attention to Wu Qiong, because after Wang Anshi came to Bianjing, Wu Qiong had been living in seclusion and had never had any dealings with the famous families.

Therefore, if Zhang Maoze hadn't suddenly said that, I'm afraid Empress Cao would not know that there was such a noble lady as 'Wu Qiong'.

"If I remember correctly, this Wu Qiong is the cousin of the young master Wang?"

Empress Cao asked.

When mentioning Wang Anshi, she didn't mention his position as the Minister of Personnel, but Wang the young master. It can be seen that Empress Cao also attaches great importance to Zhao Xi.

Zhang Maoze nodded and said, "Mrs. Wu is indeed the cousin of Master Wang. It is said that they have been friends since childhood and are very affectionate."

Empress Cao said, "Since she is Master Wang's wife, invite her to the palace banquet in a few days."

Zhang Maoze bowed and said, "I will pass the message."

Empress Cao raised her eyebrows, looking quite curious.

It's just a message, why does he need to go in person?

However, Empress Cao didn't care about this trivial matter.

With the Queen's order, Zhang Maoze can go to the Minister of Personnel's residence with a legitimate reason.

At the beginning of the You hour.

Zhang Maoze, who was about to go to Wang Anshi's residence, received news that Zhang Xun had set off for Helan Mountain.

He was very satisfied with this.

"I heard that the commander of the Imperial City Division has a close relationship with Wei Yuan, and that Lord Wei is close to Zhu Zongguan."

"Now it seems that their relationship is not irreversible. As long as Yan Da and Lord Wei are not involved, he will give up the position of the general manager sooner or later."

"Tell our precious son that as long as he can gain a foothold in the Imperial City Division, we promise him a lifetime of wealth and honor."

Then he left the Imperial City.

When he arrived at the residence of the Minister of Personnel, Wang Anshi happened to have returned from the court.

In the name of the imperial decree, Zhang Maoze met Wang Anshi's wife Wu Qiong. As rumored, she was an extremely intelligent woman just from her eyebrows. Although her appearance was not stunning, she was clean.

"Mrs. Wu, the Queen Mother said that she would invite you to attend the palace banquet in ten days."

As soon as Zhang Maoze finished speaking,

Wu Qiong first glanced at Wang Anshi, frowned slightly and said:

"Why did the Queen think of asking me to go to the palace banquet?"

The latter said: "Go if I ask you to go."

Wu Qiong nodded slightly and bowed: "Eunuch Zhang, please tell the Queen that I will definitely go."

Zhang Maoze smiled and said: "Okay."

After a pause, he looked at Wang Anshi, pretending to be hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, Wang Anshi was quite curious. He asked Wu Qiong to leave first, and then asked, "Anything else?"

Zhang Maoze hesitated for a moment and said bluntly, "Minister Wang, I wonder what you think of the relationship between Lord Wei and General Manager Zhu?"

Wang Anshi narrowed his eyes, "Wu Xun colludes with eunuchs, which is a capital crime. What do you want to say?"

Zhang Maoze bowed deeply and said, "Minister Wang, you are a smart man, so I will speak frankly."

"You are the Prince's Junior Master, and Lord Wei is the Prince's Junior Tutor. In the future, you two will be the pillars of my Great Zhou."

"I am in the palace"

He hasn't finished speaking yet.

Wang Anshi suddenly knocked over the teacup beside him, "Get out!"

Zhang Maoze was stunned, "Minister Wang, what do you mean?"

Wang Anshi spit out a word with a fierce look in his eyes,

"Get out!"

Zhang Maoze was stunned.

After a moment, he slowly said, "We know that with such a clean character as Shangshu Wang, he would not be willing to associate with a eunuch like us."

Wang Anshi snorted coldly, "If you don't get out, I will ask someone to drive you out!"

Zhang Maoze frowned deeply, "We are following the order of the Queen Mother"

Wang Anshi said, "The imperial edict has been read, you can go."

Zhang Maoze flicked his sleeves, "Pedant!"

After that, he left without looking back.

Wang Anshi looked at his back and murmured, "How could there be such a fool in the palace?"

He didn't cooperate with Zhang Maoze, not because the other party was a eunuch.

But he felt that Zhang Maoze was too stupid, so stupid that he might very likely get himself killed in the future.

Besides, is it only Wei Yuan who has a good relationship with Zhu Zongguan?

Can't he, Wang Anshi, have a good relationship with Zhu Zongguan?

Zhang Maoze. Too eager for quick success.

——

October 7, the sixth year of Jiayou.

Wei Yuan and his party have arrived in the Helan Mountain area.

Before that, he stayed in Pingrong Village for about a day.

Among the villages in Yanbian, Pingrong Village is the most powerful and is also a fortress to block the Western Xia army. There are about 50,000 troops stationed there.

Duke Kangguo and Zhong Yan only have the right to train the troops of Pingrong Village but not to mobilize them.

Wei Yuan thinks that this is always a bit inappropriate.

In the past, because Fan Wenzheng was stationed in Yanbian, he was deeply trusted by Zhao Zhen and could command the troops of each village and also had the right to mobilize troops.

But now, with the death of Fan Zhongyan, Zhao Zhen does not trust most of the border generals.

When the Western Xia army invaded, Fan Zhongyan was able to mobilize troops and make adjustments in time.

But what about now?

When the Xixia army invaded, the border generals had to report to the court before they dared to mobilize troops to fight.

Over and over again, the fighter planes were delayed.

If this issue is not resolved, border tranquility will not be guaranteed.

Yanbian is not like Daizhou. Daizhou has the Great Wall and Yanmen. If the enemy invades, you can defend the city and fight without deploying troops.

However, Yanbian is a vast territory, and if troops are not mobilized in time to respond to the enemy, it is easy to become passive.

At this moment, in front of Helan Mountain.

Wei Yuan saw the ruins of the Xixia army's garrison here. Zhong'e had burned the place to the ground when he attacked it.

"Do you know why Xixia chose this mountain as a place to hide its troops?"

Wei Yuan asked many generals around him.

Then, they looked at the majestic mountain range in front of them and the endless plains not far away, and said one after another:

"Is it because the place is easy to defend and difficult to attack?"

"The mountains here are endless and they are a natural barrier. Can they protect the peace of the place?"

"If the Western Xia invades the Great Zhou Dynasty, how about advancing from this mountain? Will the location be more advantageous?"

"."

Wei Yuan nodded and said: "What you said is correct, but more importantly, it is because Li Yuanhao is prepared for danger in times of peace."

"Helan Mountain is closest to our border with the Great Zhou Dynasty. If the two countries are at war, this mountain will definitely be a battleground for military strategists."

"They built this place into a place for training and hiding troops. It was like a nail hammered into the border of our Great Zhou Dynasty."

Xiao Yuming said: "Fortunately, this mountain now belongs to me, Dazhou."

Wei Yuan said: "If we don't station troops here, it doesn't count as our territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"Let's go up the mountain with me to see what's going on."

Peng Sun quickly dissuaded him and said: "Beyond Helan Mountain is Hongzhou, an important town in Xixia. If Commander Wei is climbing the mountain, I'm afraid if he is discovered by Xixia soldiers, I will ask Commander Wei to take precautions."

Wei Yuan said indifferently: "My mission here is to consolidate the defense line in the Helan Mountain area. If I don't climb the mountain, how can I know the topography of this place clearly?"

While talking, he had already climbed the mountain and left.

Not long after, when everyone reached the top of a mountain peak, they could clearly see the Helan Mountains.

Helan Mountain is tall and majestic, standing like a sharp sword between heaven and earth. Looking around, thousands of miles of fertile fields are extremely beautiful.

At this moment, many soldiers can clearly understand why this mountain is so important.

No matter who occupies this mountain, thousands of miles of fertile fields in front and back will face an embarrassing situation with no danger to defend.

While the other generals were pondering the importance of Helan Mountain, Wei Yuan was already anxious about how many troops should be sent and in what way to defend Helan Mountain.

"The mountains stretch for more than a hundred miles. If they are all fortified, at least 100,000 troops will be needed."

"The Xixia Army only garrisoned troops at certain dangerous fortresses, so they were able to find combat opportunities."

"Peng Sun, remember, these mountains require at least 1,500 troops to be stationed on each other. They are like horns to each other."

On the way down the mountain, Wei Yuan personally explained some of the key points of garrisoning here.

"If you want to build a city, it should be built according to the mountains. A total of ten mountain strongholds should be built and placed between each mountain peak. The distance between the strongholds should not exceed ten miles."

"Each mountain stronghold has a garrison of five hundred to one thousand men."

Peng Sun said: "In this case, the focus of our perimeter defense will be pushed forward to the Helan Mountain area."

Wei Yuan said: "What we have to do is not to let this mountain change owners again."

He spent two full days to inspect the entire Helan Mountains, and when he was about to leave for the Changcheng Ridge area, Chen Daniu came to report that someone from the Imperial City Division had come to see him.

When Wei Yuan saw the man, he felt familiar. He seemed to be a close confidant of Yanda.

As he galloped all the way, the man appeared to be dusty and told the story about Zhang Xun.

After Wei Yuan asked him to go down and rest, he called Xiao Yuming over.

"Yanda means not only to let the man named Zhang Xun stay in Helan Mountain, but also to use this matter as an opportunity to bring down Zhang Maoze."

The latter thought for a moment and said, "My subordinates remember that Zhang Maoze once had an intention to contact the Marquis, but was rejected by the Marquis?"

Wei Yuan said: "Manager Zhu has helped us a lot. If it hadn't been for him, I'm afraid the officials would have been suspicious of me, and I would never have had a smooth career."

"Now that everyone thinks that the official's health is not good, there will naturally be some advocates in the palace who want to endanger Manager Zhu's status."

Xiao Yuming said: "What should we do? Please give me some advice from Commander Wei."

Wei Yuan said: "Later, I will draw a fake defense plan of Helan Mountain. When Zhang Xun arrives at Helan Mountain, you will ask his generals to contact him, deliberately drink with him, and show him the defense plan."

"Afterwards, this fake defense plan will be stolen, and all the charges will be pinned on Zhang Maoze. The general will write a note and submit it to the officials. At that time, it will be left to the Imperial City Division to investigate."

At first glance, Wei Yuan's plan is full of doubts.

How could ordinary generals and soldiers come into contact with the defense map of Helan Mountain?

However, when there is a problem with the eunuchs in the palace, they are usually handed over to the Imperial City Department for investigation.

The Imperial City Division will fill up all the loopholes in Wei Yuan's entire plan, and there will be no clues.

Xiao Yuming nodded, "I know what to do."

Wei Yuan stopped talking and sighed instead.

Xiao Yuming has been with him for many years and naturally knows him very well.

"Does the Marquis think that no matter what time, these conspiracies can never be shaken off?"

Wei Yuan said: "We are not like Wang Anshi. He is full of knowledge and has strategies for governing the country. We can be an upright gentleman and a pure minister in this life."

"They are not like our teacher Zhang Fu, who inherited the title of Duke since childhood, and has a high prestige after a lifetime of military service."

"They all disdain conspiracy and intrigue, and can serve the country without reservation."

"But we have come step by step to today, and we are already stuck in the mud. We are unwilling to take a step back and can only move forward."

"But the road ahead is full of mud and thorns. It is unlikely to be unscathed."

Xiao Yuming sighed when he heard this.

"Yuan Zhi said that in Bian Jing, he was far less wanton than in Daizhou. I occasionally think so."

"If it was in Daizhou, there would be no so-called hidden arrows, and the court disputes could be avoided."

Wei Yuan shook his head, stood with his hands behind his back, and said sadly: "I can't go back."

It's true that he can't go back.

If he takes a step back, the interests of many people will be damaged.

Those people will not let him take a step back.

The next day.

Zhang Xun came to Helan Mountain.

At this time, the entire mountain range was controlled by the border army.

When Zhang Xun revealed his identity as the Imperial City Division, he was able to enter and leave Helan Mountain.

The soldiers sent by Xiao Yuming went with Zhang Xun to search for the snow lotus in Helan Mountain under the pretext of monitoring Zhang Xun.

After half a day of unsuccessful search, when they were about to eat, the soldier proposed to have a drink with Zhang Xun.

Zhang Xun had just arrived, and seeing that the soldier was very respectful and curious about his identity as the Imperial City Division, he agreed.

It was also at this time that Han Jiang, the Duke of Kangguo, arrived.

Wei Yuan went to greet him in person.

After the two met outside the Helan Mountain, they exchanged greetings like old friends who had not seen each other for many years.

In fact, they were just meeting for the first time.

Han Jiang said, "Lord Wei, you've been in Yanbian for so long, why don't you go to Qingzhou? I'll do my best to be a good host!"

Wei Yuan bowed and said, "Duke Kangguo, you're too kind. I'm here on the emperor's orders to take charge of the defense of the Helan Mountains. I dare not hesitate."

Han Jiang smiled and said, "Lord Wei is proficient in the art of war. A trivial matter is naturally not difficult for Lord Wei."

"Trivial matter?" Wei Yuan raised his eyebrows.

Han Jiang nodded, "Trivial matter."

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Compared to Duke Kangguo coming to Helan Mountains, this matter is indeed a trivial matter."

"Duke Kangguo, please."

Han Jiang also stretched out his hand, "Please."

When they arrived at the camp, Wei Yuan had already prepared the wine and drinks.

"Duke Kangguo has been guarding the border for many years. He should also know that the border is bitter and cold. I can only prepare a little wine."

Strictly speaking, Han Jiang and Zhang Fu are of the same generation.

Wei Yuan intentionally raised his seniority to test Han Jiang's attitude, not to embarrass him.

Inspecting the border troops and consolidating the border defense are trivial matters in the eyes of Duke Kangguo.

Then Wei Yuan had to wonder, what is a big deal in his eyes?

Will it affect his layout in Yanbian?