Zhang Han was speechless after being said by his father for a long time. After a long time, he thought of something and asked in a low voice: "Father, you just said that no matter who is in the Northwest, do you mean that Zhu Lingyue cannot accomplish anything?"

Zhang Shuyan shook his head and said, "That's not the case. Of course, I hope Zhu Lingyue can accomplish anything. However, no one can tell such a thing clearly. The situation is changing and the world is unpredictable. You must know that Xiao Huanzhang of Beishan is not a good bird. He is a cunning person. He is in Beishan for many years and has countless cliches. He seems to be a good man, but if he really wants to open his fangs, he may not be weaker than Zhu Lingyue."

"Zhu Lingyue's biggest opponent is Xiao Huanzhang." Zhang Han said: "But today is different from the past. Now Zhu Lingyue's fame and strength in the northwest are probably not comparable to Xiao Huanzhang."

"Xiao Huanzhang is a person who can bend and stretch." Zhang Shuyan said: "If Chu Huan had not come to the northwest, Xiao Huanzhang might have to continue pretending to be a grandson and would have been waiting for the opportunity. However, after Chu Huan arrived in the northwest, he repeatedly punched hard, and Zhu Lingyue's eyes had moved from Xiao Huanzhang to Chu Huan's body. Xiao Huanzhang was a person who was at a loss. Now he was afraid that he would have the intention of sitting in the mountains and watching the tiger fight."

"Father, do you really think Chu Huan can bring threats to Zhu Lingyue?" Zhang Han was quite suspicious.

"Why can't?" Zhang Shuyan smiled calmly, "If it were someone else, Zhu Lingyue would not take it seriously. To be honest, the emperor's vision was really good, and this person was extremely accurate. Before Chu Huan was transferred to serve as the governor of Xiguan, I had been guessing who the court would send to take charge of Xiguan. After thinking about it, unless the emperor came by himself, no one could threaten Zhu Lingyue. Knowing that it was Chu Huan who came to take office, I also thought that the old emperor was confused. Later, I realized that our old guy on the dragon throne was very smart. Before taking office, this governor Chu had already had friendship with the seven surnames of Xiguan, and the seven surnames of Xiguan could make a comeback. It is said that they were also related to Chu Huan. After he took office, the seven surnames of Xiguan immediately approached him and formed an alliance. Only then did I know that Zhu Lingyue's real opponent had finally arrived."

Zhang Han nodded slightly and said, "The seven surnames in Xiguan are deeply rooted in Xiguan and have a wide connection. If it weren't for them, Chu Huan would not be able to stay in Xiguan...!"

"That's why I said that the emperor is very accurate in judging people." Zhang Shuyan sighed: "Before the people have arrived, the foundation has already existed. The seven surnames of Xiguan need to revitalize their families, and he also needs to rely on the foundation of the seven surnames of Xiguan to sit firmly in Xiguan..." He shook his head and sighed: "I'm afraid Zhu Lingyue didn't expect that Chu Huan would have a connection with the seven surnames of Xiguan." He reached out to serve the tea cup. When Zhang Han saw that the tea was cold, he hurriedly got up, poured out the cold tea in the cup, and added new tea.

Seeing this, Zhang Shuyan showed a smile in his eyes. When Zhang Han sat down, his voice was much gentler and he whispered: "Chu Huan killed Dongfang Xin and Dong Shizhen, and Yuezhou was under his control. In addition, Jiazhou was also controlled by him. The four states of Xiguan have already mastered the two states, and his strength is already extraordinary. Once the entire Xiguan is under his control, then his strength will be enough to compete with Zhu Lingyue and Xiao Huanzhang."

"Zhu Lingyue asked Jin and Hezhou to raise troops at the same time, so he was naturally worried that Chu Huan would really control the entire Xiguan." Zhang Han said softly.

Zhang Shuyan nodded and said, "That's natural. Zhu Lingyue is the governor of Tianshan, not the governor of the entire northwest. In special circumstances during the war, he has military achievements and can mobilize troops and supplies. However, once the people of Xiliang retreat, he cannot always interfere in other affairs. Zhu Lingyue is still aware of this. If he keeps interfering in the affairs of Beishan and Xiguan on the surface, he will inevitably be jealous of the emperor by the imperial court. This will not be beneficial to Zhu Lingyue...!" He stroked his beard and smiled faintly: "Although he is ambitious, he is not reckless and arrogant. He can still control the advance and retreat. After all, he is not prepared and dare not fight against the imperial court."

"That's why he's manipulating it behind the scenes."

Zhang Shuyan nodded and said, "Think about it, he used Dongfang Xin and Dong Shizhen as the leader behind the scenes, and finally opened up the situation in Xiguan. In fact, he was already the two governors of Xiguan in Tianshan. Xiao Huanzhang did not dare to fight him at all, but when Chu Huan came, he destroyed most of the things he had worked hard in Xiguan in a short time. Of course, he was unwilling to accept it. If Chu Huan regained Hezhou and Jinzhou again, Chu Huan would become a couch-lying tiger, and Zhu Lingyue would probably not be able to sleep day and night."

Zhang Han agreed: "Chu Huan settled Yuezhou and Jiazhou, and he will naturally recover Hezhou and Jinzhou next. If we do not raise troops, Chu Huan's first step is to recover the military power of Jinhe and Jinhe states."

"Xuanyuan Sheng took over the power of Dongfang Xin's General Pingxi, and was fully qualified to mobilize the troops of Jin and He states. Zhu Lingyue knew this, so before Xuanyuan Sheng was mobilized, we asked us to raise an army immediately, in order to keep these two states for the last fight." Zhang Shuyan's eyes were deep and said slowly: "In fact, it seems that the two states raised their troops, but in fact it was a game of Chu Huan and Zhu Lingyue. We were just chess pieces on the board. However, for both of them, this was a crucial move. The consequences of victory and defeat could also completely influence the situation in the northwest. If Chu Huan can successfully capture Hezhou and gather the entire Xiguan, then one will rise and the other will be greatly damaged, and Chu Huan has the capital to compete with Zhu Lingyue."

"If Chu Huan could capture Hezhou City in this battle, he would not only control Hezhou, but also boost his military power and his reputation would rise sharply. What's more important is that those bandits who were ready to move would be scared by this battle and would not dare to act rashly." Zhang Han said thoughtfully.

Uncle Zhang smiled and said, "Yes, if you win, it will naturally benefit Chu Huan without any harm, but once you lose, Chu Huan will have to pay a heavy price."

"If you return without success and the Jinhe Prefectures cannot be recovered, then Chu Huan can only hold half of Xiguan." After all, Zhang Han is the son of the general. He is influenced by his eyes and many things can be seen clearly. "It would be fine if he cannot recover Jinhe Prefectures. Chu Huan's military power declined, his reputation plummeted, and Xiguan bandits rose. At that time, even if Chu Huan wanted to stay in Jiayue Prefectures too smoothly...!"

"If Chu Huan can't defeat Hezhou, he will stay in Xiguan for a short time." Zhang Shuyan sneered: "Don't forget that Chu Huan is the King of Qi. The Qi King Party and the Prince of the Crown are fighting to the death in the court. If Chu Huan fails, do you think the princelings will miss this opportunity to attack the Qi King Party? Chu Huan has opponents in the court in the northwest, so they will definitely join forces to pull Chu Huan off from the position of governor of Xiguan."

Zhang Han smiled and said, "It seems that Chu Huan's bet this time is really not small."

Zhang Shuyan picked up the teacup, took a sip, spit out the tea leaves in his mouth, and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, Chu Huan will have a lot of danger in this battle, and he will likely return in vain..."

"As long as he pushes, Zhu Lingyue will naturally become the most powerful force in the northwest." Zhang Han frowned and said, "Of course Xiao Huanzhang could not be Zhu Lingyue's opponent at that time. Why did his father just say that the prospects in the northwest are blurry?"

"Just because the war has never been concluded before it ends." Zhang Shuyan sighed: "We have been thinking about it and attacking Hezhoucheng with Chu Huan's current strength, and most of them will return without success. However, there is no absolute in the world. Our guess may not be the result. Many things will not end, and you will never guess the ending. Whether Chu Huan wins or loses is unknown." Then he frowned and said: "The people we sent to Hezhou have not come back yet. We have no idea about the current situation in Hezhou...!"

Zhang Han said: "Dad don't worry. This is the six regular times in Hezhou. The climate is harsh. The people sent are afraid that there will be delays on the road...!"

"I hope so." Zhang Shuyan sighed and said, "If this is true, it would be fine. It's just that there are other changes. Although Hu Zongmao and I don't like each other, I still hope he can hold on to this battle." After a pause, he stared at Zhang Han and whispered, "Do you know what it means to be a father now? In this battle, you don't want to kill the enemy, but to protect yourself. As long as Hu Zongmao defends Hezhou City and forces Chu Huan to retreat without success, then it will be the greatest victory. They don't have to go out of the city, and we don't want to send troops. If we send troops, not to mention that if we really fight, we will lose a lot of money and lose our own capital. The most important thing is that once Hu Zongmao is known to the troops, with Hu Zongmao's character, he will never let me Zhang Shuyan take the lead. If he goes out of the city lightly and disrupts the entire strategy, then Zhu Lingyue really wants to pursue it, we father and son will be blamed."

Zhang Han suddenly realized and said, "Why didn't my father say it earlier? The child is stupid and has never figured out this section."

Zhang Shuyan said: "The future of the Zhang clan must be dependent on you after all. Many things must be understood and seen through by yourself. If you explain everything to you clearly, you will never mature... Han'er, remember the words of father, we have no real enemies or real friends in the world. We only have ourselves. Now we are still in control and preserve our strength. This is beneficial to us. What you have to do is not to hang out with that woman every day, but to share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers of the Gen camp in the army, and make them obey orders. For men, women are never the most important thing. What is important is...!" He clenched his fist with one hand and said solemnly: "Power and strength!"

Zhang Han murmured to himself, repeating: "Power and strength!"

"Not bad." Uncle Zhang said seriously: "For this, we can cooperate with all the people who can use it. Even if it is an enemy, or even if the people of Xiliang can give us this one day, we can cooperate with them."

Zhang Han was stunned and suddenly heard a voice from outside: "General, there is an envoy of Hezhou!"—
Chapter completed!