From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 287

Yang Guozhong always liked to listen to a Peking opera after lunch to relax. He had been the prime minister for nine years and was also the leader of the Zhejiang Party. His power had reached its peak and he did not need or have the opportunity to go further.

His ambition was limited. He just wanted to keep his power and leave a sentence in the history books.

He did not care much about Zhou Yuan's bet this time. It was just a dying struggle of a young man under arrogance.

Two thousand against twenty thousand, not only did he have no chance of winning, but he even had no chance of survival!

"Father, Lord Qiu Huan wants to see you."

Yang Guozhong frowned. He did not like to be disturbed when listening to opera, but Qiu Huan still wanted to see him.

After all, they were the backbone of the Zhejiang Party. If they were stable, their position would be stable.

"Sir Yang, sorry to bother you."

Qiu Huan sat down and whispered, "Regarding the military exercise, I'm here to ask Sir Yang for advice."

Yang Guozhong was slightly stunned and asked in confusion, "Ask me for advice? Fighting is what you are good at, not to mention the difference of ten times, don't you have confidence?"

"No."

Qiu Huan whispered, "I have checked Zhou Yuan's resume in detail. This person is very scheming. This time he took the initiative to ask for a fight, and he made such a big difference on paper. I'm worried that he is cheating."

Yang Guozhong smiled and said, "The so-called strategy has a foundation. Five thousand against ten thousand, the gap is not big, this is the foundation. Two thousand against twenty thousand, this is an overwhelming advantage, not to mention Zhou Yuan, Even if Han Xin was resurrected, Zhuge Liang would be helpless. "

"Don't forget, both sides of the Chaobai River are smooth, with no mountains or valleys, nor is it icy and snowy. What can Zhou Yuan do?"

At this point, Yang Guozhong narrowed his eyes and said, "You came to me, I'm afraid you didn't ask about the war, but about Zhou Yuan's life."

Qiu Huan smiled slightly and nodded, "I can't hide it from Lord Yang. I really want to kill Zhou Yuan in the military exercise, but I can't figure out the consequences of doing so. I don't know your majesty's attitude."

"You also know that Zhou Yuan was promoted by your majesty, and he is in the emperor's heart."

Yang Guozhong said, "If you were the emperor, you like What kind of ministers? "

Qiu Huan's face changed, and he immediately said: "I dare not think so."

Yang Guozhong was silent for a moment, and then said: "Your Majesty likes ministers who can do things and don't cause trouble."

"There are billions of people in the world of Dajin, and countless things need to be dealt with. No one helps Your Majesty to do things. What should Your Majesty do?"

"There are many things to do, and they also cause trouble for Your Majesty. Do you think Your Majesty will like such ministers?"

"The reason why I sit in the center and remain unshakable is that I can help Your Majesty solve most of the troubles. Therefore, although Your Majesty is dissatisfied with the faction, he will turn a blind eye. "

"You recognize this point clearly, and you know whether Zhou Yuan can be killed or not. It's time to figure it out."

Qiu Huan was overjoyed and whispered, "Lord Yang means that Zhou Yuan is no longer a favorite minister. If you kill him, His Majesty will not investigate further."

Yang Guozhong said, "If he loses, he will return to Yunzhou. Who will care about an ordinary citizen of Yunzhou? What does it matter whether he is killed or not?"

"But if he wins, it means that Zhou Yuan is a rare talent in Dajin for a hundred years. If you kill him, you will not live."

Qiu Huan smiled and said, "Lord Yang, don't worry about this. Zhou Yuan will lose."

Yang Guozhong frowned and shook his head, saying, "Why should I worry? This matter has nothing to do with me. I'd better listen to the show."

Qiu Huan nodded and slowly withdrew.

...

Zhou Yuan's case had already attracted the attention of the people of Shenjing. The military exercise triggered by the case spread all over Shenjing.

The so-called military exercise of 2,000 vs. 20,000, with a difference of 10 times in strength, immediately became a hot topic. Coupled with the publication of the Dajin Times in the current affairs section, everyone was looking forward to it.

These ordinary people naturally hope that Zhou Yuan will win. It has nothing to do with justice, but the people subconsciously like to create heroes and hope for the birth of heroes.

The people on both sides of the Chaobai River are as happy as if it is the New Year, because they can observe the detailed process of the military exercise at the closest distance.

And Zhou Yuan, who had just returned to the Fifth Army Camp, saw a group of soldiers with gloomy expressions.

Li He lowered his head and sighed slightly. The other officers also frowned, obviously feeling very depressed.

Zhou Yuan tapped the table gently to bring everyone back to reality. He said slowly, "It's not dark yet, why are you all so sleepy?"

Li He smiled bitterly and said, "General, it's not that we are self-deprecating, but the difference in military strength is ten times, and we can't make up for it with strategies!"

"The Chaobai River is a plain from north to south, and there are very few hills and mountains. There are only patches of reeds. There is no condition for us to use anything.Strategy. "

Zhou Yuan just snorted and said coldly: "Being afraid before the battle, is this the military spirit you have trained these days? Are you worthy of calling yourself a veteran?"

Li He did not dare to speak, but smiled bitterly.

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice: "I know what you are thinking, but I tell you, my goal in this battle is to win and capture Qiu Huan alive."

"If you are cowardly and dare not fight, get out as soon as possible. I don't need cowards who are afraid of fighting. What I want is a brave and good commander."

Xiang Yong gritted his teeth and said: "General, I dare to fight. Even if I lose, I will fight with the momentum of the five military camps!"

"I dare to fight too!"

Left Sentry Deputy General Liu Fang also shouted loudly.

Zhou Yuan knocked on the table and said in a deep voice: "I emphasize again that what I want is to win and capture Qiu Huan alive, not to lose! ”

“After a defeat, what’s the point of talking about momentum? Only winning can bring momentum.”

“The Fifth Army Camp is known as a rebel, and I want to take it off with this battle. If you really don’t have confidence, I will change people.”

“No, no!”

Liu Fang hurriedly said, “Grand Commander, calm down. We are confident that we can fight with you.”

Zhou Yuan said, “Confident, right? Now I want to talk about the rules.”

He directly spread out a map, which was a detailed map of both sides of the Chaobai River, with every village marked in detail.

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice, “I will personally command this battle. The four of you will be the vanguard. Follow my orders and strictly execute them.”

“I will divide the two thousand troops into six groups. The four deputy commanders of Zuoye, Youye, Zuoshao, and Youshao will each lead two hundred people. Guan Dayong will lead another two hundred people. I will lead the remaining one thousand people. ”

“We will be stationed in Yunshan Town, north of Jinmen, and 20,000 military heroes headed by Qiu Huan will be stationed in Tongzhou.”

“Our strategic goals are the same, to defeat the enemy’s main force, or capture the enemy’s commander alive, without competing for any location or attacking any fortress, which means that there will be many variables in the war.”

“So I call this kind of battle a mobile war.”

“What is the core of mobile warfare? In a larger space, in a shorter period of time, a large-scale movement is carried out to form a short-term superior force and destroy the enemy’s living force.”

“Use more to defeat fewer, take the lead in surprise, defeat each one, and finally achieve complete victory.”

“So in this battle, each of you must strictly follow my orders, no matter whether the order is strange or not.”

The four deputy governors looked at each other and immediately clasped their fists and said, “I obey your orders.”