The lieutenants had already discussed the matter of sending troops to aid the Song Dynasty for a long time, and the military situation was urgent this time, so there was not much dispute in the Guardian Mansion, so they agreed to the commander of the Baiyu Army, Wu Jie, as the general of the commander of the army. The lieutenants who sent troops immediately returned to the camp to prepare. The Prime Minister's Office also ordered the country's envoy Xiao Ging to quickly discuss the matter of borrowing troops with the Song Dynasty. After the discussion, Zhao Xingde was about to rush back to pack his luggage, and a guard from the Prime Minister's Office came to invite him to come over.

It was already late, the stars and the moon were gone, and white paper lanterns were hung every twenty steps on the street. The road was vaguely visible near, and the distance was pitch black. Zhao Xingde followed the guards of the Tiger Wing Army, and he was worried. He didn't know why Liu Yi summoned him, but he wanted to do anything as fast as possible. The guards of the Tiger Wing Army were not too slow, and the iron hooves of the war horse stepped on the hard ground, and the crisp sound was heard far away.

Compared with the happy and downtown An Bianliang, the streets of Dunhuang seem empty and deserted. There are two large lanterns hanging at the entrance of the Prime Minister's Mansion, which are not very conspicuous and even a little dark. If it weren't for the two stone lions at the entrance and the words "Major Prime Minister's Mansion" on the lanterns, you might have missed it. As soon as you enter the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, you will suddenly become bright. The lanterns illuminate the hall as bright as daytime, and the various clerks come and go, which is no different from the daytime.

The guard Tongbing, Zhao Xingde strode into the stern voice: "I am not acquainted with the Prime Minister."

Liu Yi looked at Zhao De, was silent for a while, and suddenly said, "Yuan Zhi, I believe I will meet many old friends when I follow the army eastward, right?" Like a small stone thrown into a quiet pool, Zhao Xingde's expression changed slightly, and he looked at Liu Yi in surprise. Liu Yi nodded and continued, "Although Yuan is in Guandong and walks in Guanxi. If you are in my court, you only need to go straight and don't worry about anything else. The loyalty of the National Guard should be to our court. I just meet some old friends in Guandong, afraid that there will be inconvenience?" Liu Yi opened the lid of a brocade box that had been placed on the table, opened the brocade cloth, and it was a golden mask. The mask looked very ferocious. Although he was lying quietly in the middle of the brocade box, it had a terrifying murderous aura, which was daunting.

"If you meet someone you don't want to see, put on this thing." Liu Yi sighed, "This is the property of his master Wu Xianggong. He has been in Guanxi for decades. It is time for it to go back. Take it back to Guandong, which is also my teacher's last wish. You can use it when you go to fight to kill the enemy, or if you meet someone you don't meet." Liu Yi took out the mask from the brocade box, revealing a yellowed book below, which said four regular scripts with the inscription "Spring and Autumn Annals" and whispered: "This

It is the master's hard work for decades, and some of the key lessons of the troops leading the army. The master asked me to choose someone to teach him. If I don't know the other person, I would rather turn it into a rotten soil and be forgotten. You are extraordinary and come from Guandong. This time you are going to fight for the people of Guandong again, so you can take it away together." He paused, stared at Zhao Xingde, and said in a deep voice: "When two countries fight, don't be kind to women. Kill the barbarians more often, don't lose your teacher's face!"

Zhao Xingde had already understood it completely and bowed, "Thank you for your love, Prime Minister."

Liu Yi sighed, waved his hand, and asked Zhao Xingde to retreat. He handed over the bronze mask and military tactics to Zhao Xingde, who was already a teacher of art. If it comes to this, he could be considered Zhao Xingde's senior brother. However, this relationship is still a bit far-fetched. Their seniority and reputation are very different. If they really call them like this, they are a bit inappropriate. Although Duke Xiang of Di Wu was extremely skillful in military tactics, he was suppressed by the civil officials of Guandong and constrained by the vassal states. After defeating the attack on Xia, he was depressed and depressed for life.

When Zhao Xingde returned home, the child was already asleep. Li Ruoxue asked with a worried look on his face: "What's going on?"

"Simple packing, we set out tomorrow morning at Mao hour, and go to Chang'an first." A trace of sadness flashed across Zhao Xingde's face, "Hebei Xingzhang was defeated, Wang Tongjian died in battle, and Qin Hui was captured." He walked straight to the backyard and lit three high incense sticks in front of the Buddhist paintings worshipped to pay homage to the heroes who died in battle. Zhao Xingde looked at the three pillars of green smoke rising, and Wang Yan's behavior and words seemed to be yesterday. I don't know how many people died in battle and how many people were still alive in the robes of the Hejian army. He was full of grief and anger. According to the military newspaper, although the Hebei army was defeated, the Liao army only won a miserable victory. The generals were so angry that they could not capture Wang Yan, so they chopped his body into several pieces and then trampled on them with cavalry.

Zhao Xingde was silent alone in front of the Buddha statue for a long time. When she returned to the room, Li Ruoxue was cleaning up. When she saw Xingde, she asked worriedly: "Is there any news about Ruoxue?" Li Ruoxue, the new top scholar in the subject and political affairs officer, went to Hebei to announce the imperial edict. Zhao Xingde still told Li Ruoxue the day before yesterday that the news of Hebei's defeat and Qin Hui was captured today.

Zhao Xingde shook his head and sighed. Li Ruoxu had a low position, and he only wrote in the Song State's official report that the situation in Henan and Hebei is so chaotic, and the Xia State's military newspaper would not mention the life and death of a small civil servant. Li Ruoxue was worried and murmured: "Ruoxu has been smart and wise since he was a child. I hope he will be a charismatic person and heavenly person." Zhao Xingde gently folded his shoulders and comforted him in a low voice for a long time before he gradually let go.

............

"Is there any news about the third young master?" Mrs. Wang asked anxiously.

"Shang,..., there is no news yet." The servant stammered. He was defeated in Hebei, and Li Ruoxu's life and death were unknown. After the news came, Mrs. Wang felt like she had lost her parents and was restless. She sent her servants to the Privy Council several times every day.

At this time, Bianliang was already in a mess. Not only were wealthy businessmen fled south, but even officials in the court abandoned their posts and fled south, and they could not help. In order to save food in the city, the Privy Councilor Shaowu simply let the people flee, and only strictly investigated the people who entered the city to prevent spies from the Liao people. As the Shaoqing of the Honglu Temple, Li Ruobing had also been to the northern country and was highly valued by the Privy Councilor Shaowu, who relied on him as his right-hand man. These days, in addition to urging all the troops to serve the king and arrange the defense of the capital, Shaowu also had to cheer up and argue in front of the imperial court.

In front of the palace gate, Shao Wu whispered: "Qingqing, the country is in a difficult situation, and it is most important to stabilize the hearts of the people in the capital. To stabilize the hearts of the people in the capital, you must first stabilize Your Majesty's heart. When facing the saint, if Your Majesty asks about the reality of the northern country, you must not exaggerate. Otherwise, it will not only be of no help, but will only cause people's hearts to be confused, and the overall situation will be even more difficult to recover."

"Don't worry, Prime Minister," Li Ruobing said in a deep voice, "The subordinate officials must report to the truth."

Shao Wu sighed secretly, and wanted to speak but stopped. Li Ruobing's temperament, in the better part, was a straight minister, and in the worse part, was stubborn and did not know how to adapt. After deciding to defend the battle, His Majesty summoned Li Ruobing, the young minister of the Honglu Temple who had been envoyed to the northern country, to participate in the court. Shao Wu had already suggested many times, but the enemy was approaching, but His Majesty's thoughts were shaken. He hoped that Li Ruobing would try his best to belittle the Liao army's ability to attack the city and strengthen His Majesty's determination to defend Bianliang. But Li Ruobing was so stubborn, and he had to repeat the word "reality".

Half an hour later, the dispute between Prime Minister Zhao Zhifu and Privy Councilor Shao Wu was caught in the dispute between two important officials.

"The Liao army swept across Hebei, and Wang Yan's reinforcements were wiped out. Your Majesty is a body of gold. People in the world are intimate. You should not be in danger," Prime Minister Zhao Zhifu bowed and said, "I request Your Majesty to hunt in Xiangyang in the south and wait for the Liao army to retreat before returning to Bianliang."

"Absurd," Shao Wu, the Privy Councilor, looked dark and retorted: "As soon as Your Majesty leaves, the morale and people in the capital will inevitably collapse. Furthermore, our dynasty adheres to the strategy of defending the internal and external conditions. Bianliang City has been operated for several generations, with a high city and a deep pool. There are 200,000 imperial guards in the city and a million people. If we talk about the strength of the city and the large reserves, we will be the most important in the city in the world. I wonder if the prime minister, if Bianliang cannot be defended, can the city in the world still be defended?"

Except for the people of the Zhao Party and the Shao Party, other ministers looked at each other and did not dare to join each other easily. Since Cai Jing and other treacherous slanders were repelled, a three-legged situation was formed in the court. The three important officials and disciples were many, and the risen talents such as Chen Dong and Deng Su could not match them. However, when Qin Hui was defeated in Hebei, he was captured, and the dispute between Zhao Zhifu and Shao Wu in the court was

Zhi suddenly became intense. Whether to defend the city or hunt in the south, the court and the inner court kept discussing it without deciding. Emperor Zhao Ke looked at the two important officials with pale face and felt a little upset. He looked up at the Taiwei Tong Guan standing in front of the hall. Tong Guan looked at the nose and the heart, looking like a loyal and vigorous old slave. Zhao Ke couldn't help but sigh and turned his eyes to Li Ruoxu, the young minister of the Honglu Temple who was specially summoned.

Zhao Ke was patient and waited for the Prime Minister and Privy Councilor to have almost fought, and then asked: "Li Aiqing, I heard that the giant cannons that the Liao army attacked the city were very powerful, but the cannons they fired weighed hundreds of kilograms, and all those hit on the top of the city were destroyed. Is this true?"

Li Ruobing held the tooth board in his hand and bowed out and said, "Your Majesty, the Liao army did cast heavy artillery, which could fire hundreds of kilograms of cannons." When he said this, the face of the Privy Councilor Shao Wu changed slightly, but he heard Li Ruobing's words change, "But if it could easily destroy the city, it would be an alarmist statement. As far as I know, the Liao Kingdom used this heavy artillery to attack a city that was much smaller than Bianliang and was defended by only three thousand Han troops, and it has not been captured."

Although Li Ruobing responded to the truth, Zhao Ke's expression changed when he heard that the Liao army had indeed fired artillery hundreds of kilograms of stone bullets. In his opinion, the Liao army had such a giant cannon, and Bianliang was in danger. He waved Li Ruobing to retreat to the court and asked: "Where have the reinforcements from the Xijing camp been to?" The tone of the official was very complicated, with both expectation, anxiety, and a little resentment. After a moment, the Privy Councilor Shao Wu replied: "100,000 reinforcements from the Xijing camp are still stationed in Hulao Pass. Yao Zhengping reported that he was worried about the ambush and repeated the mistakes of the Hebei camp, so... he delayed his journey." Hulao Pass was only more than two hundred miles away from Bianliang, and the Xijing reinforcements were not allowed to advance. The Privy Councilor Shao Wu himself did not believe the Liao ambush that Yao Zhengping called.

Blue veins appeared on Zhao Ke's forehead. He took a few deep breaths and said in a deep voice: "Transfer my will and summon King Jing to the palace to meet him. The late emperor often taught me that my brothers and brothers were respectful. I was busy with political affairs and had not seen King Jing for a long time. I am really ashamed of the previous king."
Chapter completed!