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

After Zhang Xun received the errand, he mounted a fast horse and took two imperial city officials to Helan Mountain that day.

At the same time, Zhang Mao mentioned to Empress Cao that Wang Anshi's wife "Wu Qiong" was good at writing. He also said that Wu Qiong was a husband and raised children and was strict in running the family. She was worthy of being the wife of a young master.

In about ten days, Queen Cao will hold a banquet in the palace and invites many wives of nobles and ministers.

But she never paid close attention to Wu Qiong, because after Wang Anshi came to Bianjing, Wu Qiong had been living in a simple life and had no contact with any famous family.

Therefore, if Zhang Mao hadn't said that suddenly, Empress Cao might not even have known that there was such a noble lady as 'Wu Qiong'.

"If I remember correctly, this Wu Qiong is Master Wang's cousin?"

Queen Cao asked.

When mentioning Wang Anshi, we do not mention his position as Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but rather Wang Shaoshi. It can be seen that Queen Cao also values ​​Zhao Xi very highly.

Zhang Mao nodded and said, "Mrs. Wu is indeed Master Wang's cousin. Rumor has it that the two were childhood sweethearts and are very affectionate."

Queen Cao said: "Since she is Master Wang's wife, I would like to invite her to the palace banquet in a few days."

Zhang Mao cupped his hands and said, "I will go and deliver the message right now."

Queen Cao raised her eyebrows, looking quite curious.

It was just a message, why should he go there in person?

However, Queen Cao didn't pay much attention to the trivial matters here.

With the Queen's decree, Zhang Maoze can go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Secretariat of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

At the beginning of Youshi.

Zhang Maoze, who was about to go to Wang Anshi's house, received news that Zhang Xun had set off for Helan Mountain.

He was deeply satisfied with this,

"I heard that the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial City has a close relationship with Wei Yuan, and that the Marquis of Wei is relatively close to Manager Zhu."

"Now it seems that the relationship between them is not unbreakable. As long as Yanda and Wei Houye are not involved, sooner or later he will give up the position of general manager to Xian."

"Tell our precious son that as long as he can establish a foothold in the Imperial City Division, our family promises him a lifetime of wealth."

Then, he left the imperial city.

When he arrived at the Ministry of Official Affairs, Wang Anshi happened to have returned from his official duties.

Zhang Mao met Wang Anshi's wife Wu Qiong in the name of Yizhi. It was indeed as rumored. Just from her eyebrows, she could be seen to be an extremely intelligent woman. Although her appearance could not be said to be the most beautiful one in the country, she was better than clean. .

"Madam Wu, the Queen Mother said that in ten days, you will be invited to attend the palace banquet."

Zhang Mao had just finished speaking.

Wu Qiong first glanced at Wang Anshi, frowned slightly and said:

"Why did the Queen think of letting me go to the palace banquet?"

The latter said: "Just go if you are told."

Wu Qiong nodded slightly, bowed and said: "Eunuch Zhang, please tell the queen on your behalf that I will definitely go."

Zhang Mao smiled and said, "Okay."

After a pause, he looked at Wang Anshi, pretending to be hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, Wang Anshi was quite curious. He asked Wu Qiong to step aside first, and then asked, "Is there anything else?"

Zhang Mao hesitated for a moment and said bluntly: "Wang Shangshu, I wonder what you think of the relationship between Lord Wei and Manager Zhu?"

Wang Anshi narrowed his eyes, "Wuxun's collusion with the chamberlain is a capital crime. What do you want to say?"

Zhang Mao bowed deeply and said: "Wang Shangshu, you are a smart man, so we will speak out."

"You are honored as the Prince's Young Master, and Lord Wei is honored as the Prince's Young Master. In the future, you two will be the pillars of our Great Zhou Dynasty."

"Our family is in the palace"

He hasn't finished speaking yet.

Wang Anshi suddenly knocked the tea cup next to him to the ground, "Get out!"

Zhang Maoze was suddenly confused, "Wang Shangshu, what do you mean?"

Wang Anshi uttered one word with fierce eyes,

"roll!"

Zhang Mao was stunned on the spot.

After a moment, he slowly said: "Our family knows that with Wang Shangshu's clean character, he disdains being associated with a eunuch in our family."

Wang Anshi snorted coldly, "If you don't get out, I will have you kicked out!"

Zhang Mao frowned deeply, "Our family is following the Queen's will."

Wang Anshi said: "The decree has been read out, you can leave."

Zhang Mao suddenly flicked his sleeves and said, "pedantic!"

After that, he left here without looking back.

Wang Anshi looked at his back and murmured: "Why are there such idiots in the palace?"

The reason why he didn't cooperate with Zhang Maoze was really not because the other party was a eunuch.

But he felt that Zhang Maoze was too stupid, so stupid that he might be implicated to death in the future.

Besides, is Wei Yuan the only one who has a good relationship with Manager Zhu?

Can't Wang Anshi have a good relationship with Manager Zhu?

Zhang Maoze was too eager for quick success.

——

In the sixth year of Jiayou's reign, October 7th.

Wei Yuan and his party have arrived in the Helan Mountain area.

Before that, he stayed at Pingrong Village for about a day.

Among the villages in Yanbian, Pingrong Village is the most powerful and a fortress that blocks the Xixia Army. There are about 50,000 troops stationed there alone.

Kang Guogong and Zhong'e only had the power to train troops but not to mobilize troops against the troops in Pingrong Village.

Wei Yuan thought that there was something wrong with this.

At that time, because Fan Wenzhenggong was stationed in Yanbian, he was deeply trusted by Zhao Zhen and could command the troops in each village and also had the power to mobilize troops.

But now, with the death of Fan Zhongyan, Zhao Zhen does not trust most generals.

When the Xixia army invaded, Fan Zhongyan was able to mobilize his troops and generals in time to make adjustments.

But what about now?

When the Xixia army invaded, the border generals had to report to the court before they dared to mobilize troops to fight.

Over and over again, the fighter planes were delayed.

If this issue is not resolved, border tranquility will not be guaranteed.

Yanbian is not like Daizhou. Daizhou has the Great Wall and Yanmen. If the enemy invades, you can defend the city and fight without deploying troops.

However, Yanbian is a vast territory, and if troops are not mobilized in time to respond to the enemy, it is easy to become passive.

At this moment, in front of Helan Mountain.

Wei Yuan saw the ruins of the Xixia army's garrison here. Zhong'e had burned the place to the ground when he attacked.

"Do you know why Xixia chose this mountain as a place to hide its troops?"

Wei Yuan asked many generals around him.

Then, they looked at the majestic mountain range in front of them and the endless plains not far away, and said one after another:

"Is it because the place is easy to defend and difficult to attack?"

"The mountains here are endless and they are a natural barrier. Can they protect the peace of this place?"

"If the Western Xia invades the Great Zhou Dynasty, how about advancing from this mountain? Will the location be more advantageous?"

"."

Wei Yuan nodded and said: "What you said is correct, but more importantly, it is because Li Yuanhao is prepared for danger in times of peace."

"Helan Mountain is closest to our border with the Great Zhou Dynasty. If the two countries are at war, this mountain will definitely be a battleground for military strategists."

"They built this place into a place for training and hiding troops. It was like a nail hammered into the border of our Great Zhou Dynasty."

Xiao Yuming said: "Fortunately, this mountain now belongs to me, Dazhou."

Wei Yuan said: "If we don't station troops here, it doesn't count as our territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"Let's go up the mountain with me to see what's going on."

Peng Sun quickly dissuaded him and said: "Beyond Helan Mountain is Hongzhou, an important town in Xixia. If Commander Wei is climbing the mountain, I'm afraid if he is discovered by Xixia soldiers, I will ask Commander Wei to take precautions."

Wei Yuan said indifferently: "My mission here is to consolidate the defense line in the Helan Mountain area. If I don't climb the mountain, how can I know the topography of this place clearly?"

While talking, he had already climbed the mountain and left.

Not long after, when everyone reached the top of a mountain peak, they could clearly see the Helan Mountains.

Helan Mountain is tall and majestic, standing like a sharp sword between heaven and earth. Looking around, thousands of miles of fertile fields are extremely beautiful.

At this moment, many soldiers can clearly understand why this mountain is so important.

No matter who occupies this mountain, thousands of miles of fertile fields in front and back will face an embarrassing situation with no danger to defend.

While the other generals were pondering the importance of Helan Mountain, Wei Yuan was already anxious about how many troops should be sent and in what way to defend Helan Mountain.

"The mountain range stretches for more than a hundred miles. If we deploy all the defenses, we will need at least 100,000 troops."

"The Xixia Army only garrisoned troops at certain dangerous fortresses, so they were able to find combat opportunities."

"Peng Sun, remember, these mountains require at least 1,500 troops to be stationed on each other. They are like horns to each other."

On the way down the mountain, Wei Yuan personally explained some of the key points of garrisoning here.

"If you want to build a city, it should be built according to the mountains. A total of ten mountain strongholds should be built and placed between each mountain peak. The distance between the strongholds should not exceed ten miles."

"Each mountain stronghold has a garrison of five hundred to one thousand men."

Peng Sun said: "In this case, the focus of our perimeter defense will be pushed forward to the Helan Mountain area."

Wei Yuan said: "What we have to do is not to let this mountain change owners again."

He spent two full days to inspect the entire Helan Mountains, and when he was about to leave for the Changcheng Ridge area, Chen Daniu came to report that someone from the Imperial City Division had come to see him.

When Wei Yuan saw the man, he felt familiar. He seemed to be a close confidant of Yanda.

As he galloped all the way, the man appeared to be dusty, and he told Zhang Xun's story.

After Wei Yuan asked him to go down and rest, he called Xiao Yuming over.

"Yanda means not only to let the man named Zhang Xun stay in Helan Mountain, but also to use this matter as an opportunity to bring down Zhang Maoze."

The latter thought for a moment and said, "My subordinates remember that Zhang Maoze once had an intention to contact the Marquis, but was rejected by the Marquis?"

Wei Yuan said: "Manager Zhu has helped us a lot. If it hadn't been for him, I'm afraid the officials would have been suspicious of me, and I would never have had a smooth career."

"Now that everyone thinks that the official's health is not good, there will naturally be some advocates in the palace who want to endanger Manager Zhu's status."

Xiao Yuming said: "What should we do? Please give me some advice from Commander Wei."

Wei Yuan said: "Later, I will draw a fake defense plan of Helan Mountain. When Zhang Xun arrives at Helan Mountain, you will ask his generals to contact him, deliberately drink with him, and show him the defense plan."

"Afterwards, this fake defense plan will be stolen, and all the charges will be pinned on Zhang Maoze. The general will write a note and submit it to the officials. At that time, it will be left to the Imperial City Division to investigate."

At first glance, Wei Yuan's plan is full of doubts.

How could ordinary generals and soldiers come into contact with the defense map of Helan Mountain?

However, when there is a problem with the eunuchs in the palace, they are usually handed over to the Imperial City Department for investigation.

The Imperial City Division will fill up all the loopholes in Wei Yuan's entire plan, and there will be no clues.

Xiao Yuming nodded, "I know what to do."

Wei Yuan stopped talking and sighed instead.

Xiao Yuming has been with him for many years and naturally knows him very well.

"Does the Marquis think that no matter what time, these conspiracies can never be shaken off?"

Wei Yuan said: "We are not like Wang Anshi. He is full of knowledge and has strategies for governing the country. We can be an upright gentleman and a pure minister in this life."

"It's not like our teacher Zhang Fu, who inherited the title of Duke since he was a child, and has a very high prestige during his military life."

"They all disdain intrigues and can serve the country without reservation."

"But as I have come step by step to where I am today, I am already stuck in the mud. I don't want to take a step back, so I can only move forward."

"But the road ahead is full of mud and thorns. It is impossible to escape unscathed."

Xiao Yuming also sighed when he heard this.

"To put it bluntly, the wantonness in Bianjing is far less than that in Daizhou. The general will occasionally think like this."

"If we were in Daizhou, there would be no so-called hidden arrows, and we could resolve disputes in the court."

Wei Yuan shook his head, stood with his hands behind his hands, and said sadly: "I can't go back."

There is indeed no going back.

If he takes a step back, the interests of many people will be harmed.

Those people wouldn't let him take a step back.

The next day.

Zhang Xun came to Helan Mountain.

At this time, the entire mountain range was controlled by the border troops.

After Zhang Xun revealed his identity as the Imperial City Secretary, he was able to enter and leave Helan Mountain.

The soldiers sent by Xiao Yuming used the excuse of monitoring Zhang Xun and searched for the Helan Mountain Snow Lotus with him.

After half a day without success, when he was about to eat, the soldier proposed to have a drink with Zhang Xun.

Zhang Xun arrived for the first time and saw that the soldiers were very respectful and curious about his identity as the Imperial City Secretary, so he agreed.

It was also at this time that Kang Guogong Han Jiang arrived.

Wei Yuan went to greet him in person.

After the two met outside Helan Mountain, they were like old friends they hadn't seen for many years, chatting with each other endlessly.

In fact, it was just the first time they met.

Han Jiang said: "Master Wei Hou, tell me, you have been in Yanbian for so long, why don't you go to Qingzhou to have a look? I want to fulfill my friendship as a landlord!"

Wei Yuan cupped his hands and said: "Kang Guo Gong's words are serious. I have been appointed by the emperor to be responsible for the defense of the Helan Mountain area. I really don't dare to hesitate."

Han Jiang smiled and said: "Marquis Wei is proficient in the art of using troops. Naturally, he cannot be troubled by trivial matters."

"A trivial matter?" Wei Yuan raised his eyebrows.

Han Jiang nodded, "It's a small matter."

Wei Yuan smiled and said: "Compared to Duke Kang Guo coming to Helan Mountain, this matter is indeed a trivial matter."

"Kang Guo Gong, please."

Han Jiang also extended her hand, "Please."

When they arrived at the camp, Wei Yuan had already prepared drinks.

"Kang Guogong has been guarding the border all year round. He should also know that the border is bitterly cold, so I can only prepare a small amount of wine."

Strictly speaking, Han Jiang and Zhang Fu are the same generation.

Wei Yuan deliberately promoted his seniority, but actually wanted to test Han Jiang's attitude, not to make him look bad.

Inspecting the border troops and consolidating the border defense were trivial matters in the eyes of Duke Kang.

Then Wei Yuan had to have doubts. In his eyes, what was a big deal?

Will it affect your layout in Yanbian?