Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 391 Zhang Yong's Mission (Special thanks to my friend Wanderer Bookworm for his 2 monthly tickets!)

After a discussion between the emperor and his ministers, they all felt that they could not allow the thief Li Jiqian to grow stronger in Khitan.

This thief is good at disguise, resourceful, ruthless and cruel. As long as he gets the chance, the first person he will kill will be the biggest benefactor who promoted him to a high position and helped him gain power - the Khitan King Thor.

Chai Zongxun pondered for a while and said:

"My dear ministers, if we allow this situation to continue, the villain Li Jiqian will probably usurp the power of Xia Ge Si sooner or later, which will be a big trouble.

At least, it is a big threat to the Northern Ming area of ​​our Great Zhou, which is vast, sparsely populated and in the development stage.

Originally, I should have led a large army to attack the Xiajiasi, so that they would not dare to disobey! However, I cannot spare a large army to go there at present.

But Li Jiqian is an extremely cunning thief and must not be let off.

I have decided to send an envoy to Khitan to force Suo Er to hand over Li Jiqian. The important task of escorting him will be entrusted to the soldiers of Longxiang Guard. "

Because the war between the Great Zhou Empire and the coalition forces of the Starry Sky Sect in Central and West Asia is currently intensifying, the ten Longxiang Army corps that have not yet been dispatched need to garrison a large area in the country.

Although all the ministers knew that the relationship between the Great Zhou and the Khitans was not harmonious, and was even a hidden hostility, it would be a very dangerous thing to send an envoy to the Khitans now. However, more than ten officials still expressed their willingness to represent the Great Zhou Empire in the mission and demanded that Thor hand over Li Jiqian, a rebel of the Great Zhou.

Zhang Yong thought for a moment and said:

"Your Majesty, Li Jiqian is now quite powerful in Khitan. This mission will be extremely dangerous. If we are not careful, we will be captured by him.

I think it would be better for me to lead the Dragon Guards on the mission."

Zhang Yong's meaning was very clear: if a civilian official with no military power was sent to carry out such a dangerous mission, he would be a burden that would tie his hands and feet in the dangerous Khitan. It would be better for him to select the Longxiang Guard, who was highly powerful, to go.

As early as twenty years ago, Zhang Yong had already been recognized by the military and civilians of the Great Zhou as the number one military force after the battles on the outskirts of Yangzhou, the battles of Mangshan in Luoyang, and the battles of Chengdu and An Siqian.

Chai Zongxun thought about it and felt that what Zhang Yong said made sense.

If we send ministers to the Khitan Empire as envoys, if we fail to handle it properly, we may be instigated by Li Jiqian, who has the first-mover advantage, and be killed by its king, Sol.

Although the Khitans had extremely sophisticated iron smelting skills and were said to have secret smelting techniques, their country was all grassland and iron ore was scarce, so although the soldiers' weapons were extremely sharp, they were not equipped with plate armor.

With the elite Longxiang Guards led by Zhang Yong and the help of the Shenbi bow, it should not be difficult for him to lead the army out of the encirclement even if the talks between the two sides fail.

Chai Zongxun said:

"Lord Zhang, you have the important task of commanding the Dragon Guards for me and taking charge of the overall intelligence of various foreign countries. You should not take the risk of going on an expedition.

It would be better for the commander of the guards to lead the army to the Khitans."

Zhang Yong thought of the fifteenth year of Kaixi, when he sent Longxiang Guard Governor Wei Feng to lead his army to the Hexi Corridor to contact the Guiyi Army, but he almost didn't come back;

In the 23rd year of Kaixi, Wei Feng, unafraid of hardships, led the Longxiong Guard to the extremely cold land of Beiming for the first time.

It was reasonable for Zhang Yong to feel that Wei Feng should not be sent on this dangerous mission to Khitan.

Zhang Yongdao:
"Your Majesty, there are three Dragon Guards now. Hu Lian is far away in Central Asia fighting against the Xingxing Sect, Dai Qi is lurking in Fusang to deal with the Uighur Jing Qiong, and only I and Wei Feng are in Bianjing. The Guards have carried out extremely dangerous missions many times before. As the commander of the Dragon Guards entrusted by Your Majesty, I cannot refuse this time.

I beg Your Majesty to send me to lead the army to go to Khitan. I will definitely be able to fulfill the mission and lead the army back safely!"

When Chai Zongxun heard Zhang Yong say this, he immediately agreed.

When the Angkor King Uttayavarman I received the news of the disastrous defeat in the naval battle, he was furious. He ignored the dissuasion of his ministers in the court and insisted on sending troops to attack the Zhou Dynasty from land.

He sent General Norodom with an army of 200,000 to the north to invade Dali, but was blocked at the border of Jingcheng Prefecture by Shi Xingkun, commander of the 15th Corps of the Great Zhou Longxiang Army, who led an army of 30,000.

The Angkor army was a sword-armored army, and its strongest force was no more than 3 elephants. These elephants had been trained for a long time and were originally able to charge recklessly on the battlefield, frightening the enemy's horses and causing them to flee.

However, with the experience of fighting against elephant soldiers in pacifying Southern Han in the 11th year of Kaixi, the Longxiang Army used the "Yansu Cannon", Hudun Cannon, and Shenbi Bow to attack the enemy from a long distance. The Angkor army was defeated before it approached 300 meters from the Zhou army.

Norodom led his army to attack Zhou territory several times, but suffered heavy casualties and could not advance an inch. However, fearing punishment from King Utdiyavarman I, he had to station his troops at the Zhou Angkor border to delay the attack and pretend to attack.

A few days after receiving the imperial edict, Zhang Yong busied himself with preparations for the expedition. In order to avoid worrying his wife Li Fangyi, he did not intend to tell her the truth. He only said that he was going to inspect the various prefectures and would be back in about a year.

Although Li Fangyi was reluctant to leave, she knew that her husband was the commander of the Longxiong Guard and had a lot of work to do, so she had no choice but to accept it.

On March 12, Wei Feng came to visit the residence of "Duke Wusheng" and Zhang Yong invited Wei Feng to a banquet in the backyard room.

Both of them were people with profound internal strength. No matter how strong the liquor was, it tasted like water to them. They drank dozens of bowls of wine while chatting and drinking.

Wei Feng said:
"Commander Zhang is in charge of the overall situation of Longxiang Guards. How can he personally take the risk and go to Khitan?
I will replace Commander Zhang to complete this mission."

Zhang Yong smiled and said:

"Brother Wei, please don't compete with me for the mission. Last time, I was in danger in Gaotai City in the Hexi Corridor. Although my sister-in-law didn't say anything afterwards, every time she saw me, she looked as if she wanted to eat me!
Don't worry, my dear brother. With the great power of our Zhou Dynasty that is feared throughout the world, I believe that even if Li Jiqian gains power in Khitan, he will not dare to attack you!
And even if we do, why would I be afraid of the small barbarian country of Khitan?"

Wei Feng got married quite early. At the age of seventeen, he married the youngest daughter of Xue Juzheng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. This year, he just married his eldest son Wei Zhi. Now Wei Feng is only forty-three years old.

Wei Feng sighed. The last time he came back from Gaotai, Madam Xue, who was extremely worried at home, cried and scolded him for several days before she finally stopped.

However, thinking that nearly a hundred masters and servants in the family depended on him, Wei Feng also knew the weight of the burden on him. No wonder his wife was worried.

Wei Feng said:
"I am deeply grateful to Commander Zhang for his kindness! Your Majesty originally intended to order me to go, but it was Commander Zhang who volunteered.

Alas, my wife at home is always too worried about my safety, which makes Commander Zhang embarrassed.

Commander Zhang, how many Dragon Guards do you plan to bring to Khitan this time?"

Zhang Yong put down his wine glass and said:

"I have calculated over the past few days that it is not appropriate for our Great Zhou to go to war with the Khitans at this time. We should just let them see our might and surrender. The Dragon Guards need to keep abreast of the latest intelligence from various countries, and there are not many people who can be mobilized.

Therefore, I plan to bring 3,000 elite soldiers with me this time."

(End of this chapter)