Chapter 164 The Wind Will Rise

For a strategist, it is more important to help the lord analyze the pros and cons of things and provide his own suggestions.

The real decision-making is to be done by the lord himself.

After Shi Shuhu had analyzed all the pros and cons, he didn't even offer any suggestions.

Because things are already very clear, there are only two choices: either leave or fight.

Li Shenfu, Zhai Rang, Xue Shixiong, Zhao Yi. These Han heroes of Dayan have led their troops to attack the areas where the Turks are wreaking havoc.

Failure to withdraw would mean a major war to decide the fate of Hebei.

If we win, everything will be fine. Hebei has thus become a frontier post for encroaching on the Central Plains.

If we lose, at least we will suffer serious injuries.

To gamble or not to gamble?
When Shibi Khan was struggling, his son, generals and brothers had already helped him make a decision. A letter from Julu County made Shibi, who was originally struggling, no longer have to struggle.

There was no need for Shi Shu and Hu Xi to help him analyze the pros and cons or make any suggestions.

The flames of war were reignited at the ancient battlefield of Julu.

Zhao Yi, governor of Jizhou, led an army of 30,000 to attack in the direction of Julu.

Shibi Khan's brother Chuexin led the general Zhishishili and gathered an army of more than 100,000 from multiple directions to prepare to support Khan's son Shiboxin in the direction of Julu.

Originally, Shiboxin could have evacuated calmly, but there were a large number of women, property, and food looted by the Turkic army in Zhaojun, Qinghe, Guantao and other places stored in Julu City.

So they were greedy for these things and did not abandon the city. They planned to defeat the Yan army and then leave calmly.

Behind Zhao Da, in the direction of Guantao and Qinghe, were the armies of Li Shenfu and Zhai Rang, totaling more than 100,000 people.

Originally, Zhishisili and others did not want to make the war so large-scale, but the situation gradually developed in an uncontrollable direction, and now things are no longer up to them.

"For now, we can only let Elifu Yehu's men stop the Yan army led by Xue Shixiong. The Khan personally leads the army south, otherwise Zhishisili and others may not be a match for the Yan army."

After the two of them read the letter one after another, Shi Shuhu Xi immediately made suggestions.

Shi Bi also nodded quickly, "It can only be done this way. When the wind blows, the grass and trees will move with it. However, the height of the waves is never determined by the water!"

A war is about to break out.

Shi Bi quickly sent out a 10,000-man detachment to escort the spoils obtained in Jixian back north. He then led his army southwards and dispatched several thousand men to guard the two rear routes of Feihukou and Hongshangguan.

Ji County was left to the Shanggu bandit leader Wang Xuba, and orders were sent to his brother Elifu to work with Dingbei Khan Liu Huzhi to block Xue Shixiong's way south to support the Julu battlefield.

The battle between Youzhou and Jizhou is imminent. Murong Chao, the new emperor of Luoyang, is also paying close attention to the situation on the battlefield in Hebei. After all, this is related to the survival of Dayan.

Bingzhou has already been lost. If Youzhou and Jizhou are also lost, the situation will be truly irreversible.

In Chang'an, Murong Zan was also paying attention to the battle situation in Hebei.

Perhaps because he was afraid that the late emperor Murong Ying would appear in his dreams, Murong Zan did not choose to live in the Taiji Palace where the late emperor had lived, but instead lived in the Daming Palace.

In the side hall of Hanyuan Palace, Prime Minister Pei Hongde, Chief Censor Liu Yan, two generals Yuwen She and Yuwen Chengye, Central Guard General Yuwen Xiao, former general Murong Jian and other important officials gathered together.

Murong Zan sat in the upper seat, wearing ordinary clothes and a thin black gauze hat, sitting on a big chair, with the demeanor of a monarch.

These core figures of Western Yan gathered together and, in addition to discussing the preparations for sending troops to Longyou in September, they also mentioned the recent war situation in Hebei at the end.

The Western Yan court had to obtain information about the war situation in Hebei through military reports from the Bingzhou governor, Duke of Dai, Tuoba Yuqing.

The disagreement between the two Yuwen generals and the prime minister, the secretary, and the chief censor was whether to help attack the rear of the Eastern Yan army while they were in a stalemate with the Turks in Hebei. Tuoba Yuqing was still on the front line of Yewang, leading 30,000 troops to confront the more than 20,000 infantry and cavalry of Fu Xiuzhi, the governor of Yuzhou of Eastern Yan stationed in Huai County, but did not launch an attack.

In fact, the reason why Tuoba Yuqing did not continue to advance was because there was not enough food and grass, as they were all used to support Murong Zan and Yuwen She in attacking Guanzhong.

Tuoba Yuqing first ordered 20,000 Turkic cavalry to withdraw, and later withdrew part of the troops to the vicinity of Shangdang due to the pressure of transporting grain, leaving only more than 30,000 people to confront the government troops.

Now the opportunity has come. Tuoba Yuqing is capable of defeating Fu Xiuzhi's troops. As long as he transfers all his troops over, his military strength will be more than twice that of Fu Xiuzhi.

Doing so would undoubtedly be a support to the Turks, preventing the Eastern Yan army from responding with all their strength.

However, the two Yuwen generals of the Western Wei did not support Fu Xiuzhi's troops attacking the Eastern Wei army at this time.

Firstly, Luoyang had rebuilt a new central army and stationed it in the Mangshan area, watching the situation in Henei County on the north bank of the Yellow River. They were prepared for Tuoba Yuqing's army to come down and interfere in the Youji battlefield.

Secondly, if the Western Yan army helped the Turks to defeat the Eastern Yan army in Hebei, it would not gain any benefits, and Hebei might be taken over by the Turks.

Therefore, it is in the best interest of Western Yan to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.

For the Western Yan court, the best outcome would be the defeat of the Turks and the heavy casualties suffered by the Eastern Yan.

By then, Western Yan would be able to move eastward through Taihang and sweep across Hebei.

If we can take Hebei into our hands, we can say that the major issues have been resolved.

Although the Turks are now allies of Western Yan, and Shibi Khan still has a father-son agreement with Murong Zhan, if given the chance, Murong Zhan will definitely give the Turks a severe blow.

After all, although Shi Bi is his uncle, he is not his biological father.

Just thinking about becoming an emperor and being named "Chang'an Khan" makes me feel so uncomfortable.

As for gratitude?

Don't joke, Murong Zan had the support of five counties including Shuofang and Wuyuan, as well as the Turkic people who bowed their heads and called him their father.

Pei Hongde and others did not raise any opinions on this matter. Those who were allowed to be high-ranking officials in Western Yan naturally would not be upright and loyal.

In other words, they are all second-rate officials.

If you are a second-in-command and don't know how to adapt to the situation, you won't survive.

Therefore, this group of people wisely did not make any comments on how to use the army, but instead raised some questions about the current situation in Guanzhong, public security, taxation, people's livelihood, etc.

Murong Zan was not very patient about this. Most of the things Pei Hongde talked about were approved, and the other things were not approved not because they were inappropriate.

But Murong Zan felt that the official's request could not be agreed to all at once.

Even if it is reasonable, you still have to pretend to think it over, let the matter sit for a while, and then approve it.

This shows that as an emperor, he handled government affairs after careful consideration to prevent the cunning ministers below from fooling him.

And since everything was approved, the emperor lost his majesty.

All the important military and political affairs had been discussed, and the small court meeting held in the side hall of Hanyuan Palace was over, after which all the ministers left.

Murong Zan also invited his uncle Yuwen Chengye and cousin Yuwen Xiao to stay and have a conversation with them to show their closeness.

When he was the only one left in the side hall, he revealed a slightly tired face.

He slumped in the big chair, muttering, "Father, why do I feel that you are so happy to be the emperor? The people of the world are afraid of you, everyone in the palace flatters you, and there are so many ministers loyal to you. How did you do it?"

(End of this chapter)