The distance from Fengxiang County to Linyou County is about two hundred miles. It takes a day and a night to go there by horseback. Considering the snow, two days of round trip is enough.
Five days had passed since Wanyan did not send out two hundred cavalry, but there was still no news at all about the cavalry. The two hundred men seemed to have disappeared into the sea.
Wanyan Buli could basically conclude that all 200 people had been wiped out. The man hiding in Linyou County was wearing a Song army, and it was most likely Chen Qing. Wanyan Buli immediately sent an eagle letter to the capital marshal Wu Shu for instructions.
Wanyan Wushu was Wanyan Zongbi, and he took over the post of marshal of Wanyan Lou's family.
On top of the city, Wanyan looked up at the gloomy sky. It had been almost half a month since he had seen the sun. The clouds had always been so dense and low, as if he could touch the dark clouds with a ladder on the top of the city.
"General, I have asked the local officials in my humble position, and they all said that this is a precursor to a snowstorm. It is now late November, and a snowstorm will hit at any time. We must be careful!"
Wanyan Weili stared at the north with a stern gaze, and said helplessly for a while: "The military order is like a mountain, it is not up to you and me."
"But the fourth prince can't give orders randomly!"
Wanyan did not sneer, "He is about to return to Zhongdu to report on his duties. How can he explain to the Wolf Lord if he cannot get Chen Qing's head? Marshal Lou Shidu's coffin has not been buried yet!"
At this moment, a letter eagle flew from the east, circled several times over the county town, and landed on the eagle tower on the north city wall. The eagle slave took the dove letter and gave it to the soldiers.
Soon, a soldier ran up to Wanyan Wuli, knelt down on one knee, held up the mailbox, and said, "Urgent message from Beijing!"
Wanyan didn't take the mailbox immediately and slowly opened a roll of eagle letter. There was only one bloody Chinese character on it, "Kill!"
Wanyan did not have any choice. He ordered his lieutenants to guard Fengxiang City. He personally led 4,000 Jurchen cavalry and 4,000 Han troops, a total of 8,000 troops. He pretended to be 30,000 troops and marched towards Linyou County.
.
.........
In the afternoon of the next day, eight thousand gold soldiers arrived at Wujiang River, which is the boundary river between Qishan County and Linyou County.
At this time, the cold wind was biting, and the Jin soldiers were marching hard in the thick snow. Wanyan looked up at the sky. The dark clouds in the sky changed and the clouds rolled. It was different from the lifeless sky of the previous two days. The clouds suddenly changed.
Gotta get active.
Suddenly, his face felt cold, and he stretched out his hand, and a snowflake melted on the tip of his finger.
"It's snowing!" a soldier shouted.
Thin and dense snowflakes finally began to float in the sky.
Wanyan did not immediately give the order: "Instruct the army to camp where it is!"
A strong sense of ominousness arose in Wanyan Weili's heart, and he needed to wait and see the weather before making a decision.
The dark clouds that had been accumulating for more than ten days finally showed their power. The cold wind wrapped around the snow, and the snow became heavier and denser. The distant mountains and woods could no longer be seen, and the sky and the earth were a vast expanse.
A snowstorm that has not been seen in a century swept across the land of Guanlong...
Chen Qing stood on the top of the city, looking up at the flying snow in the sky. The cold wind howled and the blizzard obscured his sight. The villages and mountains outside the city were completely invisible.
County Magistrate Wei Qing came over and said with a smile: "Commander, I have lived in Guanzhong for thirty years, and this is the biggest snowstorm I have ever seen. The weather this year is abnormal. It rained continuously before, and now it snows again."
Chen Qing smiled faintly and said, "This is God's will. It is estimated that the Jurchen army is already halfway there. This blizzard forced them to withdraw. At least they will not come until the weather warms up. Everyone can have a good year with peace of mind."
"Commander, there are still thousands of kilograms of grain in the warehouse. It's not an option to keep feeding porridge, so just distribute the grain to the people!"
"Okay! You can make up your own mind. I will allocate as many manpower to you as you need. Go directly to Vice General Yang."
Chen Qing really doesn't have much interest in complicated government affairs. All his thoughts are now on practicing riding and shooting. In the past two days, he feels that he is about to break through.
...........
A batch of food and supplies for the Song Army arrived at Dashan Pass.
Coach Zhang Jun also followed this batch of supplies to Dasanguan.
After he presented Wanyan Lou's head to the imperial court, the emperor issued a special decree to reward him, which made Zhang Jun's back a little tougher than after Fuping's disastrous defeat.
He also began to pay attention to Monk Yuan's defense battle. After a few months, he once again set foot on the land of Guanzhong.
In the big tent, five generals including Wu Jie, Wang Yan, Qu Duan, Wu Gao, and Sun Wo, all gathered together. Although they had the same official position, they had different ranks. General Zhongwu, the fourth rank of Wu Jie, was the highest.
Zhang Jun calmly listened to Wu Jie's report.
He stood in front of the map with his hands folded for a long time and asked: "Do all the generals think that the Jin soldiers will outflank Monk Yuan from the west?"
Wu Jie said calmly: "The biggest weakness of Monk Yuan is the West Valley. Once the enemy bypasses Longshan and attacks Dashanguan or Monk Yuan from the West Valley, it means that we will be attacked from both sides. Wanyan Zongbi cannot fail to know this."
Wang Yan also added on the side: "It is unlikely that the enemy troops on the central and eastern fronts will bypass Longshan. After all, the journey is far away and logistical supplies are difficult. Both Beizhi and Wu Dutong believed that Wanyan Wulu would definitely attack from the west.
March forward and at the same time establish a western logistics supply channel."
Although the relationship between Qu Duan and Wu Jie was not harmonious, he could still distinguish right from wrong. He also agreed with Wu Jie's judgment that the Jin soldiers would definitely outflank him from the west.
But he had his own ideas on the appointment of some important generals.
Zhang Jun looked at the map carefully, nodded and said: "You are right, this is the most suitable strategy for the Jin soldiers. I believe Wanyan Zongbi can also think of it, so General Wu plans to divide his troops to garrison in the West Valley?"
Wu Jie picked up the wooden pole, pointed at the West Valley behind Monk Yuan and said: "With the openness of the West Valley, one or two thousand soldiers will definitely not be enough to garrison. It will require at least 6,000 people. However, our troops are limited and it is impossible to allocate so many troops.
"
"What do you mean, let Bashu send an army to Monk Yuan?" Zhang Jun said coldly.
He also has 40,000 troops under his command, of which 10,000 troops are stationed at various passes in Hanzhong, and the other 30,000 troops are the last resource to defend Sichuan.
Zhang Jun will not increase the number of troops under any circumstances, and all the generals here know this.
"Commander, what we actually mean is to take the initiative and resist the enemy thousands of miles away."
"What's the meaning?"
Wu Jie pointed at a pass in Longzhou in the northwest with a wooden pole and said: "This is the Jianxiao Pass, which is the only way for the Jin soldiers from the West to go south to Fengxiang Prefecture. The terrain is dangerous. It can be said that one man can guard the pass and ten thousand people cannot open it.
At present, this pass has been occupied by the Jin soldiers. If we can seize this pass and hold it tightly, the Jin soldiers' western front strategy will fail and we will have no worries."
Zhang Jun looked at Jianxiao Pass and agreed with this plan, "Yes, it not only blocks the Jin soldiers on the west route from going south, but also supports the return of Liu Ziyu and Liu Qi's troops. They have food shortages and can't hold on for long."
Speaking of this, Zhang Jun asked again: "Who are you planning to send to carry out this blocking mission?"
Wu Jie took a look at the crowd and said helplessly to Zhang Jun: "We have big differences when it comes to sending generals to guard Jianjun Pass. The humble official recommended Wang Shu, the commander, to lead the army there, while the king recommended the commander Chen Qing, the commander, to lead the army to garrison.
General Wu Ga recommended his general Yang Zheng to garrison, and Qu Dutong and Sun Dutong were also recommended by generals. They are both good generals, and even though they hold low-level positions, they can't be sure to pay attention to them at the moment."
Zhang Jun took a few steps with his hands behind his back and asked Wang Yan again: "Guarding Jianxiao Pass is of great significance. Why did the commander-in-chief recommend Chen Qing? Does he have the ability to defend the city?"
Everyone's expressions became unnatural. Everyone understood that Zhang Jun was obviously more biased towards Chen Qing. As long as Wang Yan could provide sufficient reasons, Zhang Jun would definitely agree.
It seems that the head effect of Wanyan Loushi is very good.
Wang Yan said calmly: "Reporting to the commander, Chen Qing led 500 troops to resist Wanyan Huonv's 6,000 troops attacking the mountain at Qilin Village in Linyou County, and annihilated 3,000 troops, and finally retreated.
The incident caused a sensation throughout Guanzhong. Based on this battle, I believed that he was capable of guarding Jianxiao Pass."
"What do you think?" Zhang Jun asked the other four people.
Brothers Wu Jie and Wu Ga had a good impression of Chen Qing. Since Wang Yan fully recommended him, they had no objection. Qu Duan and Wang Yan had a good personal relationship, and he wanted to give him this face.
Only Sun Wo was a little dissatisfied. He said coldly: "Chen Qing is just a newcomer who has just emerged. Not to mention his ability, even if he is ranked senior, he will not be able to stand alone. Besides, we only heard rumors about the attack and defense of Qilin Village.
,No one has seen it with their own eyes, so who knows whether it is true or false?"
Wang Yan said angrily: "This is something Jin Bing admitted himself. Can they still make up stories to enhance our prestige and lower their own morale?"
"After all, it's just a rumor. If he fails to defend Jianxiao Pass and ruins the entire battle situation, the capital cannot afford it!"
Wang Yan cupped his fists towards Zhang Jun and said, "Commander, I am humble enough to vouch for Chen Qing. If he loses the Jianju Pass, I will bear all the responsibilities!"
Zhang Jun stroked his beard and said thoughtfully: "I also believe that the rumors are true. He can fight with 500 people against 6000 people. With this courage, he must be the one to guard Jianxiao Pass!"