Volume 10 Chapter 145

"So that's it!" Tang Yin looked at the burning sticks on the ground and nodded slowly. No wonder the Mo army would give up all the more than ten checkpoints in Xishankou so easily. It turned out that they had planned it in advance and used fire attacks on their own side by coating them with pine in advance.

"My king, if our army does not withdraw from Xishankou, I think the Mo army will still use the same trick again and sneak into our camp at night. They don't need to approach our camp, but just fire rockets from a distance to cause losses to our army. This time our army was lucky and only some tents were destroyed. If the food and grass are damaged next time, the consequences will be serious." Qiu Zhen reminded meaningfully.

Tang Yin knocked his forehead, pondered for a long time, and then smiled bitterly: "It seems that we have underestimated this Xishan County and Shao Yu too much!"

"That's right!" Qiu Zhen agreed with this and said: "Shao Fang can kill the Shao family, but he dare not touch Shao Yu, the head of a county. It can be seen that even Shao Fang is quite afraid of this person."

Tang Yin sighed lightly and said: "Okay, let's do as you say. Our army will withdraw from Xishankou and set up camp outside Xishankou."

Qiu Zhen bowed and said: "Your Majesty is wise!"

The Feng army entered Xishankou, advancing quickly and retreating quickly. After the attack on Fengyang was blocked, Tang Yin ordered the entire army to withdraw from Xishankou and strictly guard against the sneak attack of the Mo army. Now the Feng army is in a dilemma. It is not right to attack or retreat. Xishan County has become Tang Yin's biggest concern.

Just when the Feng army was in a dilemma outside Xishankou, a person rushed to the Feng army camp, Zhang Xin, the governor of Feng State, and Cai Gui came with Zhang Xin.

Zhang Xin came from Ningdi. When the Sanshui army reinforced Tia and fought against Du Ji's army, Zhang Xin was sent to Ningdi by Tang Yin to be responsible for the logistics of the Sanshui army. After Zhang Xin arrived in Ningdi, he punished a large number of corrupt officials in Ningdi with great force, and also involved Cai Song. In order to avoid trouble, Cai Song gave Zhang Xin a lot of benefits, and the relationship between the two became close.

With the end of the Tia war, Zhang Xin should also return to Fengdu Yancheng, and at this time, the war between Feng State and Mo State broke out again.

The Sanshui Army and the Tianying Army in Ningdi all went south to attack the eight counties of Ningnan, which belonged to the sphere of influence of the Mo Kingdom. In theory, Zhang Xin could continue to stay in Ningdi to coordinate the logistics of the two armies, but Zhang Xin himself felt that his future in Ningdi was bleak. Even if he made achievements, the king far away in the Mo Kingdom might not be able to see it. He then decided to go to the Mo Kingdom. Although he might not be able to contribute, it was better to work by the king's side than in Ningdi.

Knowing that Zhang Xin was going to leave Ningdi and go to Wangmo Kingdom to join Tang Yin, Cai Song took the initiative to find him and gave him a valuable gift. He asked Zhang Xin to recommend his second son Cai Gui to the king so that Cai Gui could seek an official position in the court.

Zhang Xin received too many bribes from the Cai family. Now that Cai Song made such a request, he couldn't refuse it. Moreover, he thought that the king didn't have a good impression of the Cai family. The reason why Cai Song was important now was just a temporary measure. Even if he recommended Cai Gui to the king, he might not be reused, and it would not affect his position in the court.

The cunning Zhang Xin could never have dreamed that he had made a mistake this time after all his calculations.

Cai Song was willing to send his most capable assistant and the closest second son to the court to serve. This was all Cai Gui's own idea.

Zhang Xin could see that Tang Yin's reuse of the Cai family was just a temporary expedient. How could the extremely smart Cai Gui not see it? He proposed to Cai Song that if the Cai family wanted to consolidate their position and power, it was far from enough to rely on the relationship between their younger sister Cai Youling and the king. As for the right prime minister Shangguan Yuanji, he was even more unreliable. It was better to rely on oneself than on others. The Cai family must have someone in an important position in the court, and at the same time, they must be trusted and valued by the king. Only in this way can the Cai family's position in Ningdi last for a long time and not be killed suddenly one day.

It's okay to let Cai Song be sneaky and play tricks, but in terms of the overall situation, he is far inferior to Cai Gui, and he is very self-aware of himself, and he knows that his second son's brain is far better than his own, so he has always been obedient to Cai Gui's strategies. This time, when Cai Gui proposed to use Zhang Xin as a springboard to serve in the court, although Cai Song was reluctant and very worried, he finally nodded in agreement.

This is how Zhang Xin and Cai Gui arrived at the Feng Army camp together.

Tang Yin and the generals in the army were very surprised by Zhang Xin's arrival. He was the internal historian of grain. Although he was a high-ranking official, he was a civilian and had no use in the army.

In the central army tent of the Feng Army camp, Zhang Xin and Cai Gui met Tang Yin. Tang Yin was very surprised to see Zhang Xin. Seeing Cai Gui also came, he was even more puzzled, but he didn't ask in a hurry. He asked Zhang Xin first: "Zhang Xin, why did you come to Moguo?"

Zhang Xin had already thought of the words, and hurriedly replied: "Reporting to the king, the Sanshui army has withdrawn from Tia and returned to the country. The affairs of the minister in Ningdi have been completed, so I returned to the capital to report. On the way, I heard that Moguo offended my country. The king personally led the army to go to war, so I came here to see if there is anything I can do."

After hearing this, Tang Yin didn't feel anything, but Qiu Zhen frowned beside him. Qiu Zhen and Zhang Xin have always disliked each other, and the conflict between the two has been going on for a long time. Qiu Zhen sneered and said, "Mr. Zhang, as a minister of the court, don't you know the rules of the court? The king did not summon you, but you came here privately. Just for this reason, you can be convicted of deceiving the king!"

Zhang Xin was so angry that he rolled his eyes secretly, but the expression on his face was still very calm. He said: "Xiaguan came all the way here out of loyalty to the king. Even if Prime Minister Qiu looks at Xiaguan for a long time and dislikes him, there is no need to treat him." Is the crime of deceiving the emperor going to be slapped on the head of this official?”

"Haha!" Qiu Zhen was so angry that he raised his head and asked, "Is it true that I have wronged you? From Ningdi to Mo Country, the journey is more than a thousand miles, so you are so 'free'!"

The two of them were talking tit-for-tat. Cai Gui kept his head down and was silent. However, he was secretly observing the expressions of everyone present and hoped to distinguish the factions in the DPRK as soon as possible so that he could plan his own plan. Which side will be most advantageous in the future?

Everyone present was either a military general or a counselor. They were basically all subordinates of Left Prime Minister Qiu Zhen. Naturally, they followed Qiu Zhen's lead. Qiu Zhen didn't like Zhang Xin, and the others didn't look much better towards Zhang Xin either.

Seeing that the two of them were arguing again, Tang Yin, who was already upset, waved his hands and said, "Stop arguing." He turned to Qiu Zhen and said, "Qiu Zhen, Zhang Xin was able to rush to Mo Country from Ningdi because of a dispute. Good intentions. In this emergency, there is no need to worry about etiquette." After that, he said to Zhang Xin: "The two armies are fighting, and you can do little as a civil servant. It is better to return to the court early to handle government affairs. Now Yuan Ji also needs capable helpers. !”

Tang Yin's words sounded like he was leaning towards neither side, but in fact, he could still feel his trust and attention to Zhang Xin.

Zhang Xin dared to be disrespectful to Qiu Zhen, but he did not dare to be disrespectful to Tang Yin. He nodded repeatedly and responded: "Your Majesty has taught you a very good lesson. I will return to the country tomorrow."

Tang Yin smiled and said, "There's no need to rush. You can rest in the army for a few days."

Zhang Xin said with emotion: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding."

"Humph!" Qiu Zhen snorted coldly, turning his head without even looking at him.

Afraid that they would argue again, Tang Yin interrupted the conversation, looked at Cai Gui, and asked: "Cai Gui, if you are not helping your father in Ningdi, why are you here on the battlefield ahead?"

Before Cai Gui could speak, Zhang Xin rushed in and said, "Now is the time for me to hire people, and Mr. Cai is resourceful and a rare talent, so Wei Chen specially brought him here and recommended him to the king." While speaking, He also winked at Tang Yin repeatedly.

Tang Yin was so smart that when he saw this, he immediately understood Zhang Xin's intention. He said that he was recommending Cai Gui to him, but he was actually bringing himself a hostage. If Cai Song dared to cause trouble in Ningdi one day, the first person to die would be his own son Cai Gui.

He looked up and smiled, and said calmly: "Since it is a talent recommended by Master Zhang, it must be right." After a pause, Tang Yin said again: "Cai Gui, you can temporarily serve as Zuojian Speaker Shi. If you have any merit in the future, , and make further improvements.”

Feng Guo's Zuojian Chairman Shi Shi is only an insignificant sixth-rank official in the court and has no right to participate in court meetings. His direct boss is the Prime Minister Chang Shi. To put it bluntly, he is the secretary and assistant of the Prime Minister's envoy. He has a lot of official duties and only gets the credit for his achievements. No, a thankless position.

Cai Gui didn't expect Tang Yin to give him any high official position, so when he heard that Tang Yin named him Zuojian Chairman Shi, he immediately kowtowed forward and said, "I am a humble minister, thank you for your kindness!"

Tang Yin nodded with a smile and said, "When Mr. Zhang returns to the capital, you will go with Mr. Zhang."

"Yes! Your Majesty." Cai Gui responded respectfully, and then asked: "Your Majesty, our army is stationed outside the Xishan Pass. What is the purpose?"

After hearing this, the faces of all the generals present turned red. We were unable to defeat Fengyang, and were attacked by the Mo army inside the Xishan Pass, so we were forced to station outside the Xishan Pass.

Seeing everyone's expressions of embarrassment, especially Qiu Zhen among them, how could Zhang Xin miss this opportunity to humiliate his political opponents? He hurriedly answered: "Yes, Your Majesty, now is the time when our army is marching straight into the hinterland of Mo Country. Why are we stationed here?"

Everyone is our own people, and Tang Yin has no need to hide it. He shrugged, sighed, and said: "Originally, our army wanted to capture Xishan County, but Fengyang, the gateway to Xishan County, is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Our army's several attacks were blocked. Moreover, we lost our troops and generals, so we are forced to stay here and think hard about how to defeat the enemy. "

"That's it! I thought that with Qiu Xiang here, our army would be invincible and invincible. Unexpectedly, it was blocked by a mere Fengyang." Zhang Xin did not forget to glance at Qiu Zhen mockingly when he spoke. The implication is that you are nothing more than a leftist prime minister.