Chapter 309 Commanding a Million Troops, Conquering the World!

When Wei Yuan arrived at the imperial palace, all the officials had been waiting for a while.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on him.

In their opinion, if there was another person besides the emperor who could be considered the man of destiny, then this person must be Wei Yuan.

Born in a peasant family, he was just a small general on the frontier in the past, but in just a few years, he has grown into a great man who is second only to the emperor and above ten thousand people. How can he not be envied?

When Wei Yuan came to the crowd and was about to kneel down to Zhao Xi, everyone heard the new emperor slowly say:

"Wei Yuan, you are wearing armor, no need to be polite!"

"Today, I will not waste words with you, nor will I discuss how you want to fight this war. In short, I only look at the results!"

At this point, Zhao Xi stood up suddenly, looked at the ministers, and finally looked at Wei Yuan, and said seriously:

"From today on, during the Northern Expedition, all the troops in the territory of the Great Zhou will be under your control and mobilization."

"Expel the Tartars and recover the lost territory!"

Hearing this, Wei Yuan solemnly clasped his fists, "Your Majesty, I accept the order!"

In the past, when the new emperor ascended the throne, he would never dare to start a war recklessly. If he was defeated, it would easily cause a tragedy of the overthrow of the country.

Therefore, everyone believed that after Zhao Zhen's death, Zhao Xi would adopt a conciliatory policy and strive to force the Liao army to withdraw through negotiations.

But no one expected that an emperor who was less than ten years old would have the courage to fight the Liao army to the death.

Even on the day of his accession to the throne, he had to send troops to the north.

In Wang Anshi's view, this was all a manifestation of Zhao Xi's premature wisdom.

The so-called premature death is not a good sign.

That day.

Zhao Xi ordered Wei Yuan to ride his dragon chariot and go to the outskirts of Bianjing.

On the way, Zhao Xi was always in high spirits and talked a lot with Wei Yuan, wishing to recover the lost land immediately.

In the dragon chariot.

Wei Yuan looked at the emperor in front of him and smiled helplessly.

In front of all officials, Zhao Xi was an emperor, but in front of Wei Yuan, he put down all his defenses and was more like a child.

He didn't know how long the master-disciple relationship between him and Zhao Xi could last.

If he could hold on until the recovery of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and the unification of China, there would be no regrets.

Zhao Xi obviously didn't think so much.

"Master Wei, if you kill Yelu Renxian, you must bring his head. I want to make a Cuju with his skull!"

"Master Wei, I don't ask you how to fight this battle, I just ask you, are you sure?"

"Master Wei, it doesn't matter if we can't win. We can take our time to recover the lost territory. I'm still young, and Master Wei is in his prime. There's no need to rush."

"Master Wei, if the army fails, I mean if, in case, you must protect yourself. If you are alive, there is hope. Yelu old thief is old!"

"Master Wei."

"."

The young emperor didn't seem to think that he had said too much, let alone felt bored.

He really wished that it was himself, not Wei Yuan, who was leading the troops to the battle.

Zhao Xi called him 'Master Wei' all the time. He had never called him 'Wang Anshi' so eagerly.

If it comes to who has a greater influence on Zhao Xi, Wei Yuan or Wang Anshi, it is undoubtedly the former.

Without the former, Zhao Xi today would not have become so warlike, and would not have been shouting all day long about recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

Outside the dragon chariot, the streets were full of people wearing white cloth, kneeling on both sides of the street, and they were still mourning for Zhao Zhen.

They kept shouting "Long live the emperor".

But Zhao Xi did not care about these voices.

This emperor, who only looked a little cute, was thinking about defeating the Liao army.

"Master Wei."

Zhao Xi was still talking.

Wei Yuan suddenly interrupted, "Your Majesty."

Zhao Xi asked: "Master Wei, do you have anything to say? If you have any requests, just mention it, and I will do my best to meet them."

Just when he said this, he saw Wei Yuan shook his head, "Your Majesty, we have arrived at the city gate."

Zhao Xi was stunned, smiled, and then, with the help of everyone, he got off the dragon chariot.

Wei Yuan stood behind him.

Zhao Xi climbed up to the top of the city, and Wei Yuan walked out of the city.

Outside the city, Chen Daniu assembled 150,000 troops, including 50,000 soldiers.

The remaining 100,000 were a fictitious number, including the Jiangnan army that had bypassed Bian Jing and headed for Tangyin.

When Wei Yuan left the city and got on his horse, Zhao Xi had already stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the soldiers of the Great Zhou who had already lined up, and he felt heroic.

He had never drunk before, but suddenly asked Zhu Zongguan to bring a glass of wine and said loudly:

"You are all heroes of the Great Zhou!"

"This glass of wine is for you!"

"I wish all the generals a victory!"

"I am in Bian Jing, waiting for your good news!"

After saying that, he drank the wine in the glass.

A burning sensation instantly burned in his lungs, and in an instant, his face was ruddy.

He wanted to cough twice, but worried about losing the dignity of the emperor, he forced himself to hold back the cough.

Wei Yuan sat on the horse, looked up at Zhao Xi, and said with a fist: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Long live Your Majesty, long live the Great Zhou!"

As soon as the voice fell, all the soldiers responded one after another, raising their weapons above their heads and shouting:

"Your Majesty."

"Long live!"

"."

The momentum was like a continuous mountain range, rising and falling.

Later, Zhao Xi watched the army go out.

Just as Wei Yuan was about to leave, Zhao Xi couldn't help but speak again, "Master Wei!"

Wei Yuan looked back.

Zhao Xi said: "Master Wei, take care!"

Wei Yuan raised the corners of his mouth slightly, showed a smile, hugged his fists towards Zhao Xi, and left.

This scene reminded Wang Anshi, who had been standing next to Zhao Xi, thinking of some unofficial records about Liu Chan sending Zhuge Liang on an expedition.

However, he knew that Zhao Xi was not the Adou who couldn't help him.

As for whether Wei Yuan is Zhuge Liang, he is not sure.

——

Except for the 300,000 troops in Yanbian who were in a stalemate with Xixia.

Currently, the armies of the Great Zhou Dynasty are relatively scattered in the Central Plains.

First of all, in Daizhou, the old general Qin Lie led an army of 200,000 to guard the towns on all sides of Daizhou.

To be honest, the entire 200,000-strong army faced was not the main force of the Liao Kingdom. If they could not protect Daizhou, they would have to die to apologize.

Over at the main battlefield of Daming Mansion, Qin Zhen had an army of 400,000 under his command.

General Xu Changzhi, who was guarding Qizhou, had 150,000 troops.

Yang Huairen, who originally guarded the Gaoyang area, had an army of 200,000. His main responsibility had shifted from resisting Yelvren to cutting off the Liao army's supply routes.

Moreover, about 80,000 additional troops were sent to the Damingfu area.

Therefore, Yang Huairen only had about 100,000 troops.

Lin Zhaoyuan is coming with an army of 200,000 raised from Fujian.

In this battle, the Great Zhou Dynasty had no spare troops to speak of.

In other words, in order to fight this battle, the Great Zhou Dynasty mobilized all the armies of the country. It can be said that the whole country's troops were mobilized, and it was a battle in which the fate and strength of the country were staked!

Now, Yelu Renxian is stationed in the Xiangzhou area, planning to move when the time comes.

This time, Wei Yuan sent troops to go to Tangyin.

Tangyin is the town closest to Xiangzhou. This move is intended to guard Yelv Renxian's offensive, so that the Zhou army can fully switch from defense to offense.

Before heading to Tangyin, Wei Yuan discussed some matters with Xiao Yuming and others.

During this period, Chen Daniu said with great excitement: "Including the soldiers from Daizhou, Damingfu, Qizhou and the south, there are a million troops, and now they are all under the command of my eldest brother."

"Han Xin once said that the more troops he has, the better, but I'm afraid he can't compare with his elder brother!"

In the Song Dynasty in Wei Yuan's previous life, not counting redundant troops, at its peak, the number of troops reached about 1.3 million. This is a historical and recorded data.

What about those that are not included? All added up, the number of troops in the Northern Song Dynasty would have reached an astonishing 1.6 million or so.

Today, the Zhou Dynasty in this era has almost the same number of armies as the Song Dynasty at its peak in previous history.

To be honest, commanding an army of millions to fight would be extremely exciting for any commander.

However, what gives Wei Yuan a headache is that this army of millions, leaving aside some of the young, old and those with low combat effectiveness, is probably only about 300,000 elite troops.

In other words, the main force fighting the Liao army depends on the 300,000 elites.

And among the 300,000 elites, there are only less than 100,000 brave and capable cavalry!

This is the disadvantage of having redundant troops in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If Wei Yuan was commanding the army of the previous dynasty, there would be no need for a million, 300,000 would be enough to sweep the entire world!

"My eldest brother seems to be commanding an army of millions, and he is in the limelight for a while. However, each army is now fighting on its own. The only armies that my eldest brother can fully command are these soldiers brought from the south."

"The Danglu Army is our family asset. We cannot dispatch it unless it is absolutely necessary. This battle will be far more difficult than we thought."

Xiao Yuming spoke slowly.

Now, apart from Xiao Yuming and Chen Daniu, the only generals staying with Wei Yuan are Shen Qing.

In other words, the generals who followed him in this battle were all his confidants and direct descendants.

"Yu Ming is right. If you want to win this battle, you must unite your armies and fight independently. In the end, they can only be defeated one by one by the Liao army."

Having said this, Wei Yuan looked up at Shen Qing and said, "Qin Zhen still wants to insist on having a decisive battle with Yelu Xin's troops in Daming Mansion?"

The latter nodded and said: "Commander Wei previously suggested that Qin Zhen only leave 100,000 troops in Daming Mansion, but he still insisted on launching a decisive battle with the enemy in Daming Mansion. He also said that if Commander Wei just suggested it and it was not a military order, he would still march according to the previous deployment. "

Chen Daniu said dissatisfied: "Brother wants to save him some face. Otherwise, even if the order is passed, it will be impossible for him not to send more troops to Xiangzhou!"

Wei Yuan glared at him, "Don't have a long memory? I told you every time that you must show your duty when marching."

Chen Daniu immediately said: "In the end, the general will realize his mistake."

Wei Yuan shook his head.

Xiao Yuming joked: "Qin Zhen is also your uncle after all, so you don't like giving him face?"

Chen Daniu chuckled and said, "Then we have to wait until my brother and I marry the daughter of the Qin family."

Wei Yuan pretended to cough twice and said with a solemn expression: "Okay, let's get down to business."

"Shen Qing, please immediately send someone to tell Qin Zhen that this is an order, there is no room for bargaining, and anyone who does not respect the commander-in-chief will be killed!"

Since Qin Zhen doesn't listen to the advice, he can only take action seriously.

Chen Daniu also knew that Wei Yuan was getting serious.

Although he is obsessed with the daughter of the Qin family, he will never speak for Qin Zhen because of such things.

"Xiao Yuming, please remember this."

Wei Yuan looked serious and said seriously: "First, order Xu Changzhi to gather the army and station in Bozhou. He will deploy troops in important towns such as Tangyi and Shenxian, and tie up his pockets to prevent Yelu Xin from moving north first."

"Second, order Qin Zhen to lead an army of 100,000 to garrison Daming Mansion. No orders from the commander-in-chief can be given, and no troops can be transferred out of the city."

"Third, order Yang Huairen to recapture Quzhou via Jizhou and strictly guard against the Liao army in Mingzhou."

"Fourth, ask General Qin to transfer another 100,000 troops from Daizhou and march south to recapture Wu'an."

"Fifth, order Lin Zhaoyuan's troops to rest quickly after arriving in Tangyin and march to Linzhang and Yonghe."

"The above orders are top secret."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuming and others were deeply moved.

In an instant, all the millions of troops were mobilized, and in an orderly manner.

It is extremely difficult to do this.

I am afraid that among the young generation of generals, only Wei Yuan can do it.

The ability to command a large army group is a great requirement for a qualified commander.

Like Qin Lie, although he has a long history, he cannot command a large army group, let alone launch a large-scale campaign.

So, he was designated as the commander-in-chief to fight against the Liao army early on, but so far he can only be trapped in Daizhou.

As for the situation in Daizhou, no one knows it better than Wei Yuan. Leaving 100,000 soldiers to garrison is enough as long as the commander is not too stupid.

One Yanmen Pass is worth a million soldiers.

Although this sentence is suspected of exaggeration, it can also show the special nature of Yanmen Pass.

"Yes!"

After Xiao Yuming bowed solemnly, he went down to arrange everything.

During the march, he and Shen Qing thought of Wei Yuan's deployment more than once.

The more he thought about it, the more surprised he was.

Mingzhou is the rear base of Xiangzhou. If Mingzhou can be occupied first, the retreat and strategic depth of the Liao army can be blocked.

Wu'an, Linzhang, Yonghe, and Tangyin are all important towns, all around Xiangzhou, but Wei Yuan has never set up defenses on the way from Xiangzhou to Mingzhou.

In other words, surrounded on three sides, Wei Yuan intends to launch an offensive in Xiangzhou.

However, they are a little puzzled.

Bozhou, Tangyi and other places are located in the northeast of Damingfu.

If the battle of Xiangzhou breaks out, Yelu Xinxian will have to go around Damingfu and march to Linzhang and other places. At that time, the one who will be under the greatest pressure will be Lin Zhaoyuan.

Why did Wei Yuan not let Qin Zhen go out without authorization?

Wouldn't the garrisons in Bozhou and Tangyi be deployed in vain and be useless at all?

They couldn't figure it out, but there was one thing they had to admire Wei Yuan for commanding hundreds of thousands of troops and directly surrounding Xiangzhou on three sides.

For such a big battle, Wei Yuan, as the commander-in-chief, would not dare to launch it if he didn't have a strong heart.

"Surrounding Xiangzhou on three sides and cutting off Yelu Renxian's retreat, such a large-scale battle will surely go down in history."

"It's really exciting to think about following Wei Shuai to fight a shocking battle."

At night, in the camp, Xiao Yuming was talking to Shen Qing.

The latter nodded in agreement and said, "General Wei always uses the overall situation to deploy his troops, leaving no way for the enemy to survive, and he has endless tricks."

"I have only seen a few people in history books who have such similar methods of deploying troops."

Xiao Yuming asked curiously, "Which ones?"

Shen Qing said bluntly, "Cao Cao and Guo Ziyi, I can think of these two for now."

Xiao Yuming nodded, "Hearing what you said, these two do have something in common with General Wei."

"Where?" Shen Qing asked.

Xiao Yuming said seriously, "They all have great courage and courage, and dare to conquer the world."

Conquer the world?

The more Shen Qing thought about it, the more terrifying it felt.

The weight of these four words, "conquer the world", is really too heavy.

Interestingly, Cao Cao and Guo Ziyi can be said to be two completely opposite people.

Cao Cao is a traitor, Guo Ziyi is a hero, Cao Cao is a traitor who looks loyal, Guo Ziyi is a loyal traitor who looks treacherous.