Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan

In the third year of Kaiwu, on February 2, the dragon raised its head.

On this day, Wei Yuan and Zhao Xi discussed matters in the Xuanzheng Hall all night.

The main content involved is still related to the Northern Expedition next year.

Wei Yuan said that in the next year's Northern Expedition, he could try to regain Yunzhou, and use Yunzhou to gradually separate and encroach on the entire Yanyun Sixteenth Prefecture.

In fact, this strategy was mentioned by Fan Wenzhenggong back then, but at that time, the army of Zhou Dynasty could not even get out of Yanmen Pass, let alone trying to separate Yanyun and gradually encroach on it.

Wei Yuan's statement also means that the best result of the Northern Expedition in the coming year is to conquer Yunzhou.

Zhao Xi said: "Weishi, we have been preparing for a year in advance. Can't we expand the results?"

Wei Yuan shook his head and said: "To recapture Yanyun, I thought about it for a while. I need to make at least three or four more northern expeditions. Each time I capture a state and a territory, and gradually encroach and plan, so as not to make the front line too long, then we can be invincible." The place of defeat.”

This is the safest way.

If you don't care about casualties or costs, even if there is a risk of defeat, launching several very large-scale battles is not impossible.

However, once you fail, all your efforts will be in vain.

Wei Yuan knew very well in his heart that he had already missed the opportunity to complete his victory in one battle, but he could not tell the world that he had missed it.

The hundreds of thousands of troops who resisted the Liao army's southward movement covered most of the Central Plains. Under the circumstances at that time, this huge army was comparable to the "founding soldiers" in terms of ambition and sharpness.

Now, with the completion of a series of military reforms, theoretically, the combat effectiveness of the five major battalions will definitely increase, but no one knows what the reality will be.

At this moment, Wei Yuan saw that Zhao Xi looked a little lonely, so he had to speak again:

"In the Northern Expedition next year, in addition to Yunzhou, I will try to conquer Yuzhou if possible. If we can recover all the land in the two states, it will be a great help to the third Northern Expedition in the future."

To put it bluntly, the biggest goal of the Northern Expedition next year is to conquer Yunzhou, followed by Yuzhou.

As long as the land of these two states is captured, then Wei Yuan's Northern Expedition will be considered a success.

In a practical sense, this was the first time that Wei Yuan led a large army out to Yanmen to fight, and it should be the first Northern Expedition.

However, after the Central Plains War, Wei Yuan went north to continue to expel the enemy troops, and also asked the enemy troops to give up the territory of Yanyun and Yunzhou. Therefore, that time was defined by the government and the public as the first Northern Expedition.

Another campaign next year will be the second Northern Expedition.

"What should we do over there in Xixia?" Zhao Xi asked.

After Wei Yuan's Northern Expedition, if Xixia took the opportunity to attack Zhou, it would be another troublesome matter.

"During the Northern Expedition next year, I will not mobilize any soldiers from the western battalion. I will only use the northern and eastern battalions."

"At that time, Zhong'e will have full command of the western camp, and Yanbian will be safe."

Wei Yuan thought clearly about everything that could happen.

"Master Wei, if we plan for the Northern Expedition next year, you will have a lot of responsibilities in the past two years. You have to run the martial arts hall and arrange supplies from various places to prepare for the Northern Expedition next year."

"What kind of help do you need? I asked the six departments to support you at all costs."

Although Zhao Xi is still young, he knows one thing very well. In the whole country, in the past or for a long time in the future, no one except Wei Yuan can regain Yanyun or even suppress Xixia and Liao.

Wei Yuan said: "I have asked the soldiers of the eastern camp to be merged with the northern camp in batches and stationed in the Yanmen Pass area. If there is no major disaster this year, food and grass should be stocked on the front line as early as possible to prepare for any trouble."

In the Northern Expedition next year, he will imitate Huo Qubing and focus on surprise.

By the time the Liao army reacted, the Battle of Yunzhou had already begun.

February 6, the third year of Kaiwu.

Su Zhe returned to Bianjing from Jurchen.

Along the way, it can be said that there were many surprises.

Before Su Zhe entered the pass, many idle warriors from the Liao Kingdom tried to assassinate him, but they all failed.

Wei Yuan guessed that failure was inevitable and Liao just wanted to regain some face on their home court.

Su Che also talked a lot about the Jurchen tribe,

"Since the death of the Daozong of the Liao Kingdom, the Jurchen clan's view of the Liao Kingdom has basically been to listen to the advice rather than the propaganda."

"Originally, the Khitan assigned many officials to the Jurchens, but they were all controlled by the Jurchens."

"Today, within the Liao Kingdom, the two surnames Xiao and Yelu are also fiercely competing. The Jurchens live on the grasslands. Their people grew up sitting on horses. Once they grow stronger, they will immediately threaten the Khitan."

The largest ethnic group in the Liao Kingdom was the Khitan.

Wei Yuan said: "It seems to be similar to our guess. When you see Wanyan Wu Gunai this time, what does he think of the alliance?"

Su Zhe said: "The leader of the Jurchens said that as long as our army leaves Yanmen and attacks the Liao Kingdom, they will not join the Liao Kingdom and become enemies of our army."

Wei Yuan nodded as expected: "They dare not or are not eager to form an alliance with us. They should be worried that we have other misguided ideas. However, given time, they will understand that we and they both have a common enemy."

Su Che asked: "What is Master Hou planning to do next?"

Wei Yuan said: "Keep close contacts with the Jurchen tribe, and at the same time secretly provide help with money and weapons, and teach them how to forge iron tools. It is best to let them grow rapidly and completely disrupt the entire Liao Kingdom."

Doing so is tantamount to seeking skin from a tiger.

But Wei Yuan was confident enough to completely defeat the Jurchens before they were beyond their control.

Because of this, he cooperated with the Jurchens unscrupulously.

Su Zhe said: "Xiaguan is already familiar with the Jurchen tribe. If the Marquis needs it, Xiaguan can leave for the Jurchen tribe again at any time."

Wei Yuan patted his shoulder and said earnestly: "Don't worry, you will inevitably have to deal with the Jurchens in the future. By the way, this trip shows that there are any rising stars in the Jurchen clan who are worthy of attention?"

Su Che shook his head and said: "After all, Xianguan has only been in Jurchen for about half a month. Most people don't know him well. Just looking at his face, he has never noticed the appearance of anyone with a heroic appearance."

Wei Yuan nodded, "You have been working hard all the way, and you have just had a good rest in the past few days. After that, write down a note about what you saw and heard about the Jurchens."

Su Che bowed solemnly and said, "No."

In mid-February of the third year of Kaiwu.

Zhang Fu returned to Bianjing from Yanyun Sanzhou.

That night, he chatted with Zhang Fu until late at night, all they talked about was the situation in Yanyun territory.

Seeing Zhang Fu this time, Wei Yuan clearly felt that his body was not as good as before.

There was a look of weakness everywhere.

Wei Yuan specially wrote a letter to Zhang Xiaomei, who was going to the south to practice medicine, asking her to return to Beijing quickly and help Zhang Fu recuperate.

Wei Yuan's current status has completely surpassed Zhang Fu's status at his peak.

But the person Wei Yuan cannot live without is Zhang Fu.

Therefore, he did not want anything to happen to Zhang Fu.

He hoped that Zhang Fu could live until the day Yanyun was recaptured.

However, the strategy of encroaching on Yan Yun was destined to be recovered in no time.

——

Spring is not over until about early April.

After taking the imperial examination, all the candidates were nervously waiting for the imperial court to announce their results.

At this time, in the Xuanzheng Hall.

Su Shi, Wang Anshi, and Zhao Xi were reading the palace examination papers together to determine the final ranking.

He recognized Zhang Bangchang's test paper at a glance and recommended it to Zhao Xi.

"Officially, I believe that this person's answer sheet can be ranked among the top three."

Strictly speaking, Su Shi was not cheating.

Rather, the questionnaire for the palace examination was set by Zhao Xi, and related to the encroachment of the sixteen states of Yanyun.

After Wei Yuan discussed this matter with Zhao Xi, he devoted a whole day to teaching Zhang Bangchang these things.

"The questionnaire for the palace examination should be jointly selected by many bachelors, and ultimately selected by the officials."

"But the Northern Expedition is about to begin next year, and the official family is determined to regain the sixteen states of Yanyun. This imperial examination is the first imperial examination since the official family ascended the throne."

"I guess there is a 60% chance that it will be about Yan Yun, a 30% chance that it will be about reform, and another 10% chance. I can't guess."

"Today I will lay out some of Yan Yun's problems and talk to you about them. There is also the issue of the direction of reform. I invited Haizhou to teach you."

"You have to have a rough idea of ​​whether your bet is right or not. Even if you fail to guess, you are still prepared."

Therefore, Zhang Bangchang prepared multiple backup plans and relied on Su Shi's recommendation to hand his examination papers to Zhao Xi step by step.

Zhao Xi looked at the exam paper and frowned slightly.

"The test paper written by this candidate coincides with some of the ideas of the health teacher!"

"I didn't expect that among these students, there would be such a knowledgeable and talented person!"

"This person should be the number one scholar!"

Su Shi bowed and said, "This candidate is Zhang Bangchang, the nephew of Taifu Wei."

Hearing this, Zhao Xi suddenly realized, "No wonder this person knows the situation in Yanyun very well!"

Wang Anshi said: "In the official family, it is expected that Taifu Wei's nephew knows about Yan Yun's affairs. I'm afraid it's a trick."

Su Shi withstood the pressure and said: "What Mr. Wang said is wrong. The imperial court recruits scholars based on circumstances. In the future, the greatest national policy of our country is to regain Yanyun."

"Under such circumstances, no matter whose nephew he is, he should be a talent that the country needs to pay attention to."

Wang Anshi wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Zhao Xi: "I think this Zhang Bangchang is good, so let's choose him as the number one scholar in this subject!"

Hearing this, Wang Anshi hurriedly said: "Officials, no, this person is the nephew of the Taifu. If the candidates in the world know about it, what should they do? Even if they promote talents, they should avoid relatives!"

Zhao Xi frowned and said: "I don't understand, so what if he is the nephew of the Grand Tutor? Master Wang, you used to teach me that you should not avoid relatives if you respect the virtuous, why do you say this now?"

"Besides, don't you have a few disciples and former officials in this imperial examination?"

After a pause, Zhao Guanjia saw Wang Anshi's pale face and could only comfort him: "I understand what Master Wang meant. Let's do this. Zhang Bangchang will be ranked second. Do you have any objections?"

——

The moment Zhang Bangchang became the second choice, Wei Ruyi almost fainted with joy.

That night.

Wei Yuan's eldest sister and second sister each took their families to the Hou Mansion for a gathering. Most of them were very drunk.

Especially Wei Yuan.

When Sheng Changbai passed the Jinshi examination, Wei Yuan was far from as glum as he is today.

After all, Sheng Changbai is not Wei Yuan's nephew, Zhang Bangchang is!

Today, everyone lives in the Hou Mansion.

When they went to rest one after another, Wei Yuan, who was drunk, called Zhang Bangchang into the study.

Wei Yuan happily patted Zhang Bangchang on the shoulder and laughed:

"What a good boy! Live up to expectations! Give my uncle a good fight!"

Zhang Bangchang bowed in a neither humble nor overbearing manner: "Thanks to uncle."

Wei Yuan waved his hand, "It stands to reason that as the second best candidate, you are destined to go to the Hanlin Academy to study as a seed for the future prime minister."

"However, if you become the second best, there will be rumors in the capital. If you want to have a path to heaven in the future, you must not stay in the capital!"

Zhang Bangchang was not surprised. In fact, the moment he became the second best, he had already anticipated his next path.

"Uncle wants me to go to the Northland?"

If he continues to stay in the capital and endure the rumors, he will not be able to gain any qualifications and fame.

It would be better to go abroad from the beginning, and then return to the capital after making some political achievements in other places.

By then, no one can hinder Zhang Bangchang's promotion path.

And he guessed that he would go to the Northland next because, in the Northland, especially in Daizhou, Wei Yuan's reputation surpassed that of the emperor.

Wei Yuan's power has already penetrated into every corner of the North.

However, Wei Yuan's answer surprised Zhang Bangchang.

"Go to Yanbian and start from the head of a county. After three or five years, I will let a few dead soldiers from the Western Camp do something. You can use this as an excuse to get involved in me."

"From now on, you'll be with me until death."

Till death?

Zhang Bangchang gave a bitter smile and said, "Uncle, this is inappropriate, let alone those dead soldiers. If my mother knows about this, I'm afraid my legs will be broken."

Wei Yuan said in a deep voice: "It must be like this. Now, as your uncle and I are a highly respected minister, the court will never tolerate a civil servant who has close contacts with me ascending to the position of prime minister."

"You are different from Sheng Changbai. Sheng Changbai is Wang Anshi's disciple. In the final analysis, Sheng Changbai is far closer to him than to me. But you are my nephew, and this relationship is destined to continue."

"You must act like you are on the same level as me. Only in this way can you become the Prime Minister in the years to come."

"Not only that, from now on, you must obey Wang Anshi in everything, oppose me in everything, and obey the words of those literati and officials in everything."

"As long as you become the Prime Minister, our Marquis Mansion and your Zhang family can help each other and remain strong."

"Today, the words my uncle said will rot in your stomach. Even if it is your mother, your father, your aunt, or your future wife, you must not tell them."

"Half of the future destiny of our two clans will be entrusted to your hands!"

Letting Zhang Bangchang be ranked second is just one of Wei Yuan's pawns for the future situation.

As the saying goes, great things come to an end.

Wei Yuan did not want and would not let such a thing happen to the Champion Hou Mansion.

Therefore, some planning will start from now on.

Zhang Bangchang bowed solemnly and said: "Uncle, please rest assured. If your nephew does not ascend to the position of prime minister, the next day, he will be in the same position as your uncle or your strong brother, and will fight to the death."

After that, Zhang Bangchang wrote a letter. This letter was engraved with his seal. The content on it was today's alliance between him and Wei Yuan.

Although the relationship between uncle and nephew is strong, there are too many people who are pretending to be real. In order to prevent any changes in the future, or Zhang Bangchang wanted to reassure his uncle, in short, regardless of the reason, he gave the letter to Wei Yuan for safekeeping. .

It was equivalent to handing over his wealth and life to Wei Yuan.

He believed that his uncle would never harm him.

However, what Wei Yuan did next also surprised Zhang Bangchang.

After reading the letter, Wei Yuan burned the letter directly.

"You and I, my uncle and nephew, don't need to do this."

"If the champion's house suffers disaster in the future, I also hope that you can live well."

"Because you are my nephew."