The seventh year of Tiance was a very interesting and weird year for Han Deshu.

Not long ago, he was ordered by Zhang Mai to go north to lurk in the Khitan. His mission was to collect Khitan intelligence and instigate the Han army within the Khitan.

But soon, he was appointed by Yelu Deguang, and asked him to go south as an envoy to Luoyang to inform him of the founding of the Liao Kingdom. Of course, this was just an open task, and his real secret mission was not this. The task given to him by the Khitan was naturally to deal with Tiance.

———————

Luoyang is almost the most prosperous place in the entire Central Plains region. Why do you need to add almost two words? Because it has been really ruined in the past few decades.

Of course, it is impossible to compare with the Dongdu during the heyday of the Sui and Tang dynasties. After several wars, it has been constantly deteriorating, but the lean camel is bigger than a horse. When Chang'an has declined completely and Bianliang has not yet caught up, Luoyang has barely maintained its position as the world's largest metropolis.

But when Han Deshu entered Luoyang this time, he saw a lifeless scene.

In the Battle of Guanzhong last year, Shi Jin's army did not actually suffer major setbacks, but the final outcome was that he was unbeaten and defeated. When the news of Zhang Mai's surprise attack on the Great Victory in Mobei came, the hearts of Guanzhong were fluctuating, and Shi Jingtang's core man, the Hedong Army, became unstable.

Hedong was the most important separatist area in the battle between the world in the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties. Li Tang rose by it, Shi Jingtang rose by it, and later Liu Zhiyuan also rose by it. Since the end of the Sui Dynasty, many elite soldiers emerged in Hedong and famous generals emerged. Because it was close to the east and west capitals, once the separatist regime occupied Hedong, it could suppress Heluo to the south to see the world. At the same time, because it was close to the Northern Hu. Therefore, the Hedong army was often the first front to fight against the Huhu.

In this experience, the Hedong soldiers had a natural pride, believing that they were the only troops in the Central Plains that could fight against the Khitan without being inferior. Their attitude towards the Khitan was different from other parts of the Central Plains. They were not purely fear, but resistance and competition. Due to the inevitable hatred of hundreds of years of fighting, most of the people in the Hedong army either died of Hu'er's hands or friends died in the war against the Khitan.

Therefore, Zhang Mai was able to defeat the Khitan head-on, which has been recognized by the lower-level soldiers of the Hedong Army. Although it was a hostile camp, it still convinced these Qiu Bashes! The soldiers who could fight against the Khitan were good soldiers, and the generals who could defeat the Khitan were even better. As for the surprise attack in the Mobei region, Zhang Mai's people's expectations increased greatly. The rumors that "Zhang is the true emperor" have spread throughout the northwest region, and there is a market within the Hedong Army.

Shi Jingtang, who started his career in the army, was not completely unaware of these things. It was because of his knowledge that the son emperor was even more disappointed. The cedes of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun had already made Shi Jingtang famous in the Shilin and lose the morale of the Hedong army again. The psychological blow to Shi Jingtang can be imagined. For several months after the Guanzhong War, Zhang Mai was thinking hard to advance again. Yelu Deguang was lying on firewood and tasting gall, Meng Chang was hiding his ears and stole bells and dreaming of death, but Shi Jingtang was giving up on himself.

Since returning to Luoyang in Guanzhong, the emperor of the Shijin Dynasty often fell into a semi-psychotic state of sudden irritability and raging, and sometimes depressed. The civil and military ministers under him either took advantage of the chaos to get promoted and make money. Or they wanted to surrender westward at both ends. The monarch and ministers were like this. The atmosphere in the entire Luoyang can be imagined, spreading to the market and the commercial atmosphere was greatly affected. This is the origin of Han Deshu's "dead" feeling.

Fortunately, Feng Daozai was still able to integrate the civil service system of the Shijin Dynasty under such circumstances, which was why the basic order of the Central Plains officialdom and Luoyang city was maintained. In the Guanzhong area, Liu Zhiyuan also rectified military affairs and ensured that the northwest border was safe.

This literature and military affairs are the most important cornerstone for maintaining the collapse of the Shi Jin regime.

However, are Feng Dao and Liu Zhiyuan's hearts still in Shi Jingtang's place?

God knows!

———————

Sang Weihan was one of the important officials who were all civil and military officials who were still loyal to Shi Jingtang and hoped that this dynasty could continue as much as possible. He put in such a great effort because he had no way out. Shilin hated Shi Jingtang's betrayal of Yanyun's territory, and the direct trader of this matter was Sang Weihan. Shi Jingtang is still there, and Shilin is not good at what Shilin can do to him. Once the Shijin Dynasty is destroyed, Zhang Mai, who held up the national justice all the way, can give him good fruits amid the public opinion of Shilin shouting and killing?

Therefore, Sang Weihan was actually saving himself by being loyal to Shi Jingtang. He had no choice.

———————

Last year, the three families surrounded Tiance, and their original intention was to suppress Zhang Mai. Now the three families still have a political foundation for joining forces, but the offensive and defensive momentum has changed. If the three families join forces, the situation will become a joint defense against Zhang Mai. In Sang Weihan's view, after losing the west of Qin, the Guanzhong region, which has no strategic defense geography, will sooner or later be lost. This is difficult to reverse. However, if Guanzhong can be abandoned and defended the Yellow River and the Gushan line, the Khitan, Shi Jin, Mengshu, and jointly built a concave defense line to the west in Yinshan, Yellow River and Qinling. As long as Tiance's first few rounds of offensives are blocked, the east and west will enter a tug-of-war state. The Shi Jin regime can protect the Central Plains, and perhaps form a division state like the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou and Northern Qi during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and Sang Weihan is enough to maintain his life's wealth.

If Shi Jingtang hadn't been in a semi-crazy state, Sang Weihan would have promoted this diplomatic plan. Last year, Yelu Deguang's sudden return to the north made Sang Weihan extremely disappointed. When he saw Han Deshu coming to Luoyang again, he seemed to see a glimmer of light in his heart.

———————

After Han Deshu met Shi Jingtang and submitted his letter of state, Shi Jingtang did not invite him to discuss in detail. If Han Deshu came completely as a Khitan envoy, he would be extremely disappointed. However, now he has a mission to work secretly for Zhang Mai, so he can look at the problem from a more transcendent perspective.

"Shi Jin is indeed unreliable."

However, Sang Weihan invited him to the mansion. Sang Weihan is now the deputy envoy of the Privy Council, the deputy prime minister with great power. He should have avoided suspicion with the Khitan envoy, but in the current situation, he ignored these criticisms. Even Shi Jingtang knew about it. He probably wouldn't pay attention to it.

When you walk into Sang Mansion, the banquet is located in a back garden covering an area of ​​more than 20 acres and divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter. In the Luoyang area, it is rare to have such a large garden in the mansion. As for the garden, there are all kinds of strange flowers in the four seasons, strange stones in the southeast and sculptures purchased through trade, it is even more difficult to count. If you are talking about money, the whole garden can be said to be a step-by-step, with thirty-six young maids in a row, holding twelve-style wines, twelve-style delicacies, and twelve-style snacks, kneeling in front of you. Such luxurious and solemn appearance can make Zheng Wei and Xue Fusheng, who are most concerned about lifestyles within the Tiance regime, feel embarrassed!

Han Deshu had just come from Qin West and saw with his own eyes what kind of simple conditions Zhang Mai lived in. The Tang army of Tiance replaced all the spoils with folk creatures and devoted them to the restorative production after the war. And on the Shi Jin regime, Sang Weihan, who was most attentive to the country, did not forget to make money from chaos. Han Deshu thought to himself that if he could only make a choice between Tiance and Shi Jin, he would definitely choose the former without hesitation.

———————

After sitting in the table, he enjoyed singing and dancing, and his face was full of warmth. Sang Weihan then stepped down and approached Han Deshu and said, "Sir Han, how do you see the grand scenery of Luoyang?"

Han Deshu smiled and said, "Luoyang has been prosperous since ancient times. Our Khitan desert grassland is deserted. Although the country is strong, its prosperity is far from as prosperous as possible."

Sang Weihan was happy when he heard this. He went on a mission to Khitan several times. He cringed like a dog in front of the Khitan monarch and ministers. This time he set up a show in front of Han Deshu, and he would also like to regain his face.

Han Deshu said again: "Especially Sang Xiang here, it reminds me of a poem about Tang."

Since the Tang army of Tiance loved Tang poetry, and even used Tang poetry to boost morale in front of the formation. As far as the influence was reached, the Central Plains Si Lin's pursuit of the poems of the previous Tang Dynasty set off another craze. Moreover, Tang poetry has a brave and masculine temperament. Sang Weihan was used to being scolded by Shi Lin as a "female villain". When Han Deshu wanted to use Tang poetry as a metaphor, he was overjoyed and asked, "I wonder which poem did Shi Shi Lin remember?"

Han Deshu chanted: "The smoke covers cold water and moon covers sand, and the restaurant is near to Qinhuai at night. The businesswoman does not know the hatred of the country's destruction, and still sings the back garden flowers across the river."

San Weihan's face suddenly became like a pig's blood was applied!

Sang Weihan, who sold his country for honor, has never been welcomed in public opinion. Not only in the Central Plains, but when he arrived at the Khitans, the Khitans also despised him. Not only did the Khitans despise him, but Han Deshu, who was a Han and a lackey, actually dared to mock him directly in his mansion! The high position of the Deputy Envoy of the Privy Councilor is worthless at this moment!

But Sang Weihan can't be angry yet! After being the first time, he would never think of straightening his back again. He would still have to laugh even if he was abused. Although the smile had turned into a bitter smile, he quickly sighed and said, "The danger of the destruction of the country is not just the old country. The danger of Linhuang Mansion is probably not under my Luoyang. Moreover, when I see the marshal in the west, it seems that he is going to aim at the Khitan first... Well, aim at the Daliao first!"

Han Deshu said: "What will the Emperor of Jin do? Is it that Tiance destroyed our Great Liao, and then used the power of the Great Victory to make an edict to decide the Central Plains?"

Sang Weihan's face became gloomy, knowing that Han Deshu's words "The Central Plains are determined by the edict" were not empty words. Originally, "The Central Plains are determined by the edict" has always been nonsense that scholars took for granted, but if Zhang Maitin destroyed the Khitan, with his current people's expectations and military power and the direction of the people in the Central Plains, the Central Plains may be able to be realized! It doesn't matter if the Shi Jin is now in the world, the soldiers have no ambition to resist and no ambition to fight?

Han Deshu said: "Last year, Yang Yi attacked Mobei, and our army had to return for emergency response temporarily. Now the situation in the north has stabilized. My Emperor of the Great Liao envoy me to go south, hoping to contact the Great Jin Dynasty, form an alliance again, and defeat the celestial plan together."

Sang Weihan said: "What is the situation in Mobei? Please give me some truth from the truth!"

When Han Deshu arrived here, he suddenly felt a little confused!

He now has two identities, one is the envoy of the Great Liao Dynasty, responsible for urging Shi Jin to join the united front of the anti-Tiance. At the same time, he accepted Zhang Mai's secret order, lurked in the Liao Kingdom, and instigated the Han people in the Liao Dynasty. If he was devoted to Tiance at this time, he could throw away Yelu Wuzhi's advice and intimidate Sang Weihan. If Sang Weihan was against Liao, Jin State would completely lose hope and might be forced to turn to Tiance in despair.

However, it was not in the greatest interest of his Han family and Han Deshu himself. At that time, only people like Yang Yi, Xue Fu, Shi Ba, and Zheng Wei could get absolute benefits in the new regime, and later generations like Han Deshu were lucky to be immortal, and they were overjoyed to be able to share some water. On the contrary, if the various parties fought, Han Deshu, who had been on several boats, could get the greatest benefits in the triangle area, because all parties needed him.

After pondering for a while, Han Deshu said: "The situation in Mobei is difficult to know, but it depends on the attitude of the Jin Dynasty. If we can send troops to Guanzhong, or cross the Yellow River from Hedong, display large troops in Hexi, and restrain Zhang Mai's offensive. Let our Daliao concentrate our troops against Yang Yi, then our Daliao will have a very high chance of victory. Once Yang Yi is defeated and Mobei is recovered, the Tang army in Tiance will be lost! At that time, although our Daliao can certainly recover Mobei, the Jin will recover Guanzhong, and even annex Hexi in one breath, it is unknown!"

Sang Weihan felt aroused his heart! Yes, although the current situation is difficult, Han Deshu's statement does not exist. In fact, in the battle in Guanzhong last year, Tiance tried his best and paid a heavy price to achieve a partial unstable victory in the early stage. Even in that situation, if the stalemate is still for a while, the Liao and Jin coalition will eventually win. The reason why this is caused is that the attack on Mobei and the Khitan temporarily pulled his feet, which led to the breaking of the entire Liao and Jin coalition.

And the situation is different now. If the Liao army can really win in Mobei, it can be imagined that the attack on the morale of the Tiance Tang army. Moreover, the Longyou Tiance army, which has lost powerful combat power such as the Modao and Battle Axe Formation, can it really withstand another round of attacks from the Liao and Jin coalition forces?

For a moment, Sang Weihan seemed to have received great expectations and sank into a strategic concept that seemed like a dream. But soon, he woke up from his dream, returned to reality, and sighed: "We are not willing to send troops. It is because of the war in the Central Plains that it has been many times, and now the army is exhausted. Otherwise, last winter would not have been hasty. Guanzhong is in the first year after the war. He is afraid that there will be a small famine and cannot afford any war with local food and salary. However, the harvest in Hedong and Henan is not good, and there is not enough surplus grain to transport far away from Hexi. We have to transport grain from Shandong and Hebei. Then... the harvest of grain for thousands of miles will consume the country's foundation!"

Han Deshu said: "Then Shi Jin really plans to sit idly by and watch the battle between the Da Liao and Tiance?" He sneered: "If your country tightens its belt and exhausts the power of Shandong, it can still fight westward. But if our Da Liao and Tiance decide the victory, if our Da Liao is destroyed, it is as the saying goes, your lips are lost and your teeth are cold, and your country wants to destroy your family and fight for victory, it will probably be too late!"

"Destroy the family and fight for victory"!

The word rippled in Sanvihan's mind.

This is indeed a choice. If you make up your greatest decision, the Shi Jin regime can still extract extremely large manpower and material resources from the Central Plains. This is determined by China's depth, but the consequences will be unpredictable. Even if you can win in the end, it will definitely be a tragic victory for the Shi Jin regime, and it will greatly damage the national fortune and vitality of the Central Plains, and even drag the entire Northern China into a desperate situation.

However, what does it have to do with the fate of the Central Plains and the endless doom of China? Saving one's life, wealth, and future are the most important things!

———————

Destroy your family and fight for victory.

If Zhang Mai heard this word, he would definitely feel the same way. However, Han Deshu was talking about a strategic plan that had not been carried out yet, while Zhang Mai put things into practice in the past two years.

In order to gain strategic advantages over the Khitan, the Tang army of Tiance paid a heavy price. Although the current strategic situation is advancing smoothly, Zhang Mai is deeply guilty of Xi Sheng's death and the heavy damage to the Modao Battle Axe Formation. The number of people who died in the Modao Battle Axe Formation can only be regarded as a small war, but the influence of this iron army on the battle situation is beyond the description of its number.

Now, Mobei's situation has arrived in Qinzhou last winter. Zhang Mai, who knew Shiba's physical condition, felt a sharp pain in his heart. The little stone he loved the most was so useless! Although Xiao Shitou's letters to him were still full of optimism and laughter, Zhang Mai could not let go of his guilt.

"Is this really right? Is it really worth it to trade life for national destiny?"

But soon Zhang Mai suppressed this idea and told himself not to shake it! The dream of restoring the glory of the prosperous Tang Dynasty did not belong to him, Zhang Mai alone, but to all the old Anxi tribes who advanced eastward, to all the old Tang survivors who had surrendered to the Tiance regime, and even to the entire China!

This is not his own ideal, but his country's ideal! Even the dead Xi Sheng and the soldiers of the Modao and Battle Axe formation under his command did not fight to be loyal to Zhang Mai. If he could be resurrected, Xi Sheng would not regret his death, and he would even condemn Zhang Mai's shakenness!

"I must go on firmly. For my dead comrades!"

Great Victory has seen hope, Great Revival has seen dawn, and at this moment I must be strong!

———————

The army that has always been new was summoned last winter. The number was small, with a total of less than 4,000 main force, but it was selected from various places in western Qin and from various armies. They were all strong, simple and energetic. From their pair of eyes full of brilliance, Zhang Mai could see the strong vitality of these young men and their desire for victory and war.

These people, coupled with the remaining soldiers of the Modao Battle Axe formation, form a new Modao Battle Axe Army!

Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there have been statements about the use of prime ministers from the east and generals from Guanxi. Even now, even in the time and space where Zhang Mai came, Guanxi has always been one of the best military sources in China. At present, the low combat power of the original military horses in Qinxi was destroyed by the original military system. It is actually not difficult to select 4,000 soldiers with the potential of the Modao and Battle Axe from the ten prefectures in Qinxi. It may not be impossible to double the number.

However, Zhang Mai did not expand excessively in terms of quantity. The current scale of the new army is exactly the scope that the current financial burden of the Tiance regime can allow.

Unlike Sang Weihan, who even ruined his family for victory, Zhang Mai is now trying every means to restore the vitality of his jurisdiction. The initial construction cost of this new force is not much. The military salary of this force is not high, but in order to meet the needs of training and physical strength, this force has meat for meals! In the Longyou area where the animal husbandry industry is already very developed, the cost to achieve this is much lower than that of the Central Plains. But this has already made this new army have a strong attraction. What's more, many young men are looking for the reputation of the Modao and Battle Axe Array.

As for weapons, the old inventory of the Tiance Tang army can meet the needs of training and low-intensity combat. The armor is not yet available, and the costumes are old military robes - but it doesn't matter, look, Marshal Longxiang Zhang, has been living in the military camp since mid-January. He wore the same clothes, ate the same things as the soldiers, and even pulled out of government affairs every three days and devoted himself to the same training!

Whether it is the Great Liao, Shi Jin or Meng Shu, did the leader of that regime in the world do this? When he sees Zhang Mai, no matter how tired the soldiers are, they will be immediately full of strength, let alone Liu Heihu!

———————

In last year's war, Liu Heihu was disabled. But unlike Shi Ba who was not abandoned, Liu Heihu was disabled but not abandoned. After a winter, he miraculously regained his movements. Perhaps Xi Sheng's martial spirit was possessed by him. After he could move, he stepped up his recovery training and soon gained the combat ability of Modao in his severity and received the authorization of Zhang Mai to reorganize the Modao Battle Axe Array.

From the generals to the soldiers, no one looked down on this disabled one-eyed, broken finger, and lame vice general. On the contrary, he would only give him double respect.

In order to commemorate Xi Sheng, Zhang Mai ordered that the new Modao Battle Axe Formation will not be a general, and the general will be received by Zhang Mai himself. He called himself the second Modao Battle Axe Formation, and Xi Sheng was the first. It can be imagined that this is a kind of praise for Xi Sheng, and even the Duke and Marquis Xian Jue did not have such honor!

Liu Heihu is responsible for the daily training and combat leadership of the Modao Battle Axe Formation. In the future, the scale of this team will not expand, but there will be three auxiliary combat troops: a light cavalry on the left, a cavalry on the right, a long-range shooting unit on the back, and a spearman as temporary battlefield substitutes, forming a brand new combat group.

All three peripheral troops have not been built yet - for the current Tiance Tang army, as long as the funds are in place, they must be formed very quickly. Light cavalry can be selected from each team, cavalry and archers can be used in combination with Hu and Han, and long-range shooting troops are the strengths of the Tiance Tang army.

Once formed, this will be a new army composed of veterans in Tiance as the backbone and Guanzhong’s hometown as the main troops.

For now, it is to strengthen the training of the Xinmodao Tomahawk formation. This is the top priority of the current new army formation work.

———————

At this moment, an important news came from the northeast: The Liao Dynasty extended an olive branch to Tiance, hoping that both sides would extinguish the beacon fire temporarily. To show sincerity, Yelu Deguang was even willing to give up Yunzhou and divide Shi Jin equally with Zhang Mai!

———————

Before Xue Fu sent a letter to Zhang Mai, he had already anticipated Zhang Mai's reaction.

Even when Yelu Wuzhi just said the proposal, he had already expected Zhang Mai's reaction!

He laughed loudly because he felt it was absurd. How could the commander behind him, who regarded the honor of the Han Dynasty as better than life, agree to the so-called "dividing the Central Plains equally?"

Xue Fu didn't even have to think about it, but he knew what Zhang Mai was thinking.
To be continued...