Chapter 165: The traitor

"General Huang, it's the Spring Festival now. After the Spring Festival, it's time for us to return to Sichuan and enter Guanzhong." Zhang Jue held a cup of tea and said, "We must have a good Spring Festival and let the soldiers have a good rest. There will be many battles in the coming year."

Huang Han nodded and added: "The scale is not small yet."

The Southern Song Dynasty recaptured the three southwestern provinces, and the news of success on each front was frequently spreading, and it was in an extremely favorable strategic situation. The conditions for the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains have ripe. The war next year will inevitably be a decisive battle in the Central Plains. I don’t know how many tough battles to fight. This is a life-and-death battle, and the scale must be very large. Huang Han is a person who doesn’t like words. He speaks very briefly, but only a mere number but explains the decisive battle next year very thoroughly.

"What the two generals said is very reasonable. Chen Xingdao was originally a people who transformed themselves from a foreign country. The general of a small country in Vietnam was not abandoned and entrusted with important tasks. Chen Xingdao was deeply impressed and should not have said too much. However, if the emperor treats me with brothers and sisters, I would be ashamed of the emperor." Chen Xingdao analyzed: "In my opinion, when we return to Sichuan, we will continue to go to Guanzhong. Guanzhong has been an important place since ancient times, and sending troops from Guanzhong must be one of the emperor's armies. During the rest period, we should train our soldiers and choose terrain similar to the Central Plains to train the army."

Zhang Jue stroked his palm and said, "What General Chen said is very reasonable. Although we are in the southwest border now, we cannot wait for the days to disappear. We must seize the time to make preparations, not only to train the army, but also to buy horses from neighboring countries to equip the army. In the Central Plains, a flat horse is a paradise for cavalry, especially for cavalry mobile combat. We must form as many cavalry as possible. This matter is urgent and must be carried out immediately."

The Central Plains is a plain, not as many water and swamps as the south of the Yangtze River, but a paradise for cavalry corps. It is particularly conducive to the large-scale maneuvering of the cavalry corps, interspersing in depth, and large-scale encirclement. If the Southern Song Dynasty had enough cavalry and enough mobile troops, it would be hard to say how many benefits would be.

If the Southern Song Dynasty had enough mobile troops, it could completely expand the net, encircle and divide on a large scale, gather and annihilate it. In other words, the number and quality of mobile troops would determine the fate of the upcoming decisive battle in the Central Plains. If there were enough mobile troops, the Southern Song Dynasty could completely fight a war that was completely different from the past.

Zhang Jue is worthy of being an excellent military general with extraordinary vision. It is really admirable to position their current main task in building a cavalry unit.

Huang Han took a tea ceremony: "The training of infantry must also be strengthened, especially the physical fitness and marching."

He did not say the following words. Zhang Jue and Chen Xingdao could fully understand what he was talking about, that is, only if infantry has good enough physical fitness can march for a long time, and can exert the greatest mobility in the decisive battle in the Central Plains, so that they can quickly intersperse from one place to another, and make it impossible for the Mongols to imagine or touch it. Only then can they ensure the suddenness of the fight and give the Mongols a fatal blow.

"Good idea." Zhang Jue and Chen Xingdao agreed in unison. Zhang Jue said: "This will cause General Huang to worry more."

Huang Han said loudly: "The revival of the Central Plains is the responsibility of Huang Han!

"The species of Dian horses are not very good, and they are not suitable for a large number of cavalry equipment." Chen Xingdao reminded Zhang Jue.

Zhang Jue deeply agreed: "The reason is this principle. Dian horses are not suitable for large-scale equipment of cavalry. However, they can be used for other purposes, such as logistics support. Furthermore, our army is mainly mainly infantry and there are not many cavalry. I think the use of cavalry in the war next year will occupy a very high position. Even if we cannot send Dian horses to the battlefield, we can make the soldiers familiar with the characteristics of cavalry combat, so we must lay the foundation first."

He was planning ahead, which means that he wanted to get as much cavalry training as possible to allow the Song army here to master cavalry skills, and quickly convert them into cavalry if necessary.

"The general's words are reasonable, Chen Xingdao is too worried." Chen Xingdao was very impressed.

Did Zhang Jue speak or not? His personal soldiers quickly stepped in and said, "Report to General, someone outside the camp is asking for a visit."

"Who?" Zhang Jue asked, "The New Year is coming soon. If you don't stay at home and have a good New Year, why do you come to us for? If you can't see me, you will disappear."

The personal soldier replied: "General, this man said his surname is Gao and his name is Xiang. He also said that the general will definitely meet him after hearing his name."

"Gao Xiang? Who is he?" Zhang Jue was a little confused and said, "If he had no money to eat, just send him ten taels of silver." He thought that Gao Xiang was the one who was a lucky player to get some money and drink wine and silver, so he dealt with this.

The personal soldiers were about to turn around to deal with it, Chen Xingdao called him and said to Zhang Jue: "Jun Yu, wait. Jun Yu knows that the former Dali king had a prime minister, whose surname was Gao and whose name was Xiang."

"No wonder this name sounds so familiar. It turns out it was him." Zhang Jue suddenly realized and said strangely: "Didn't he kill him for the Tartars? Could it be him?"

When Kublai Khan destroyed Dali, the powerful minister of Dali, Gao Xiang, who was also the prime minister of Dali at that time, led his army to fight against the Mongols, and the result was that Kublai Khan was defeated. Later, he killed Wulianghetai on the way to pursue him, which is something that everyone in the world knew. If it weren't for Chen Xingdao's reminder, Zhang Jue would not have thought about this.

"No matter whether he is or not, just look at it." Huang Han's eyes were filled with bright eyes, and he said in a simple and authentic way.

Zhang Jue said to his personal soldiers, "Call him in."

When the personal soldiers went out, they walked in with a man who looked fifty or sixty years old. The man was wearing a brocade robe and was very rich. Just from his appearance, it was pretty good. Although he was a little older, he still looked a bit handsome and had three long beards hanging on his chest. However, he gave people a feeling of sinisterness, which made people feel very upset when they saw him.

The visitor saluted Zhang Jue and the others and said, "Gao Xiang, the deceased minister of Dali, met General Zhang, General Huang, and General Chen."

It was really the powerful minister of Dali Gao Xiang. Zhang Jue and the others were stunned. After a while, Zhang Jue returned the courtesy and said, "It turns out it's Prime Minister Gao, Zhang Jue is rude." At Zhang Jue's instructions, the personal soldiers brought a stool to Gao Xiang, and Zhang Jue said, "Prime Minister Please sit down."

"General Xie." Gao Xiang sat down.

Zhang Jue looked at him with a bright look and said, "Gao Xiang was not a fool either. He thought for a while and understood, and said, "Gao Xiang's minister who destroyed his country should have died twenty years ago. Lai was still there, and Gao Xiang was responsible for heavy responsibilities and had to live in the world."

His words were like a bombshell, which surprised Zhang Jue and the others. As we all know, during the Battle of Kublai Khan's destruction of Dali, Gao Xiang was killed, and the king Duan Xingzhi was captured and surrendered. With Duan's 20,000 troops as the leader, he wiped out the rest of Dali's forces. Duan Xingzhi was taken to Dadu and later died in Dadu.

Gao Xiang said that the king of the country was still there, and no one could believe this at first glance. He had to be surprised. Zhang Jue asked in extreme surprise: "What did you say? Lord of the country is still there?"

"Return to the general, the king is still alive." Gao Xiang replied with a look of fear and fear.

Huang Han stood up from the chair and walked to Gao Xiang. His eyes were wide open. He looked at Gao Xiang, slapped his hands and said, "You are so brave. You dare to pretend to be Prime Minister Gao and even talk about the life and death of the king of the country. You can't spare you. Come on, take down this liar."

A few personal soldiers came over and were about to take action. Gao Xiang hurriedly said, "Slowly, General, please wait, please go to Gao to finish your words."

Huang Han waved his hand and his personal soldiers surrounded Gao Xiang in the middle. Gao Xiang knew that if he didn't explain it clearly, he would definitely not be able to make any mistakes today, and said, "General, everything Gao Xiang said is true. Back then, the Tartars were pursuing him so hard that Gao Xiang could not escape. A retainer who looked like Gao Xiang died on behalf of Gao Xiang, and Gao Xiang was able to survive until now."

"How do you prove that your words are true? How do you prove that you are Gao Xiang? If your words are true, the retainer looks similar to you, wouldn't you be that retainer?" Huang Han asked indifferently.

Huang Han’s words were not too much of a concern. If someone really looked similar to Gao Xiang, it would be hard to guarantee that he would not have a ulterior motive to pretend to be Gao Xiang and gain benefits from it when there were no Mongolians in Dali.

Gao Xiang took out something wrapped in red silk from his arms and said, "General, please see, this is the seal of the Prime Minister of Dali Country."

Huang Han was too lazy to read it and asked, "It's not that I don't believe you. The seal is just a kind of trustworthy talisman. He can't speak. Those who own it can even cheat him." This makes sense. After more than twenty years, even if Gao Xiang did not die at the hands of the Mongols at that time, he should have died of old age after so many years. This person claimed to be Gao Xiang and also possessed the seal of the prime minister. The twists and turns in it were enough to make anyone suspicious.

As Gao Xiang thought, as long as he showed the Prime Minister's Seal, Huang Han and the others would not question him anymore. Unexpectedly, it aroused Huang Han's suspicion. He couldn't help but be stunned. He thought for a moment and said, "The general doesn't know that the king is still living in seclusion in Diancang Mountain. The general can send someone to Diancang Mountain to welcome the king."

As soon as he finished speaking, three questioning sounds sounded: "What did you say? Lord Duan is in Diancang Mountain?" It was Zhang Jue and the other three who questioned him together. Duan Xingzhi was dead, and it was Zhou Zhi in the world. Unexpectedly, he said that he was still living in seclusion in Diancang Mountain. It was too unexpected. This matter was very important. Although Zhang Jue and the other two had experienced the world, they could not help but almost fell from their eyes.

"Prime Minister Gao, please make it clear." Chen Xingdao waved his hand, his personal soldiers retreated, and said, "Prime Minister Gao, please sit down."

The personal soldiers retreated, which meant that Zhang Jue and the others believed his words. Gao Xiang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and said, "The king was unfortunately captured and humiliated that year, and did something heartbreaking. Later, the king woke up and felt guilty and regretted it. After Gao Xiang learned about it, he sent someone to rescue the king, so that the king could survive."

"Then tell me, what happened to the king who died in Dadu?" Zhang Jue asked immediately.

Gao Xiang said calmly: "This is a loyal and righteous guard around the king who died on behalf of the king."

"What do you mean is a slander?" Zhang Jue asked in disbelief: "The Tartars are not vegetarians. Could it be that the Tartars believe you like this?"

Gao Xiang had a smug smile on his lips and said, "The general doesn't know anything. This guard likes to imitate on weekdays. He has been following the king for a long time. Imitating the king has both form and charm. Not to mention the Tartars, even Gao Xiang may not be able to recognize it." Yan Lai was quite proud.

Huang Han asked with a deep eyebrows: "The king was captured, and the matter happened suddenly. Why did you deliberately ask a guard to imitate the king so much?" With a slap of his hands, the retired personal soldiers surrounded him again, surrounding Gao Xiang in the middle, staring at him. If he didn't answer correctly, he would take it down.

Imitating the king of the country is a death sentence. It is not a matter of a night to imitate a small guard to such a similar level. There must be problems here. Gao Xiangyan was quite proud, and it was obvious that this matter had something to do with him. Although Huang Han didn't like to speak very much, his thoughts were extremely detailed, so he could not hear the truth so that he dealt with it like this.

"What the general said is not because Gao Xiang was deliberately thinking. This guard liked to imitate and had nothing to do with Gao Xiang." Gao Xiang was still stubborn and insisted on not saying anything.

Zhang Jue looked at him and said, "You are the prime minister. You won't know that those who imitate the king will die. Since you know why you don't punish the guards? Besides, using a guard to replace the king is a good plan, but is this guard willing to die for the king? If the king did not do those heartbreaking things, he had a transcendent position in the hearts of the people of Dali, and it is reasonable for the guards to die on his behalf. However, the king took 20,000 troops as the leader to help the Tartars wipe out their own army and handed over his own country to the Tartars. In the minds of the people of Dali, his status has declined too much. According to the principles, the guards will not die on his behalf. You are the planner of this matter. What method did you use to make the guards willing to suffer for the king?"

The saying "Loyal ministers are hard to meet in the country" is well known, but why does this sentence exist? That is because when the country is alive, many ministers will scatter birds and beasts. Those ministers who are in power who do not give their former masters to the enemy to receive merits have already burned high incense, and there are very few loyal ministers who can be loyal to the king's affairs.

It is a bit hard to believe that a lord like Duan Xingzhi who has done things that harm Dali, it is a bit unbelievable to have the guards willing to die for him. Not to mention that Zhang Jue is suspicious, anyone will be suspicious. To solve this doubt, you can only ask the person in front of you.

Gao Xiang felt a cold on his back and said calmly: "The general doesn't know that this guard is a filial son. I have given his mother to the mansion. He is grateful and willing to die on behalf of the king."

"It is understandable to offer to other people's parents, but are you offering or taking hostages?" Chen Xingdao stared at Gao Xiang and asked, "You have found a substitute for yourself and then a substitute for the king. Is this a coincidence? What is your intention?"

A cunning person like Gao Xiang wants to take people as hostages, of course he will not do it explicitly. If he finds that this guard has the ability to imitate and achieve his goal, he will take the guard's mother to the mansion in the name of offering sacrifices, and in the name of offering sacrifices, it is actually hostages. Chen Xingdao pointed out the key points.

Sweat oozed from Gao Xiang's forehead, his heart was pounding, and he tried to calm down, saying, "The general is such a misunderstanding. What Gao Xiang respected most in his life was a filial son. How could he do such a shameful thing?"

"You are raising your mother and killing your son. The guards are experiencing an unexpected abyss. Doesn't his mother miss her son? Don't you worry about her son? Wouldn't you be sad?" Huang Han then questioned.

In this case, Gao Xiang had to hold on to the end. Anyway, no one could confront these things. He said whatever he said was, and said: "The general doesn't know anything. The mother of the guard is also a person who understands justice. Not only does she not oppose the guard's death on behalf of the king, she also supports it very much."

This man is very cunning. It seems that he will be stubborn on this. If he continues to get involved in this matter, there will be no result. Zhang Jue thought he should change the topic and might gain something. He waved his hand and asked his personal soldiers to retreat and said, "Come on, give the Prime Minister and give the good tea."

"General Xie." Gao Xiang finally passed the most difficult hurdle and relaxed a lot. He was so scared that he had a lot of cold sweats. He was thirsty and picked up the teacup and took a big sip.

Zhang Jue sat down, Huang Han and the others were also quick-witted. They knew that if they wanted to figure it out, they could only think of another way, so they sat down. "The Prime Minister is here, don't know what important things are?" Zhang Jue asked about his purpose and said, "If you have something to do, the Prime Minister should speak, as long as he can, he should do his best."

Gao Xiang said happily: "Gao Xiang is not here for his own sake, but for his public. The Dali Kingdom was originally a vassal of the Song Dynasty. The former king was appreciated by the emperor of the Song Dynasty and was rewarded by the great rewards. All the subjects of the Dali Kingdom were grateful. Gao Xiang came here to give a kindness to the general, and asked the general to do it."

"What kind of kindness?" Zhang Jue asked.

Gao Xiang replied: "Gao Xiang wanted to ask the general to write a letter to the emperor of the Song Dynasty, and ask the emperor to issue an order to restore the Dali Kingdom. The Dali Kingdom was a vassal of the Song Dynasty in the past, but it is still the case now, and will be the same in the future. In this way, the people of Dali are grateful for the achievements of the general. The general does not use the power of size but has the kindness of restoration. The merits of the general will be praised by others after a thousand years of success. Isn't it beautiful?"

He wanted to restore Dali Kingdom. He was able to speak eloquently, but he said that he gave Zhang Jue a reputation for benevolence and kindness, a typical lobbyist way.

Zhang Jue didn't understand what he meant and said, "You want to restore Dali Kingdom, so you say, who will be the king? Who will be the prime minister?"

Gao Xiang said ambiguously: "The Dali Kingdom was a vassal state of the Song Dynasty, so naturally everything obeyed the emperor's will." He should have answered Duan Xingzhi to be the king of the country in one go. His answer was because there was another mystery.

Huang Han stood up and said, "I think it is most appropriate for Prime Minister Gao to be the one."

Gao Xiang was overjoyed and said, "Thank you General!"
Chapter completed!