Chapter 172 You Can't Compete for the Vanguard Position

At daybreak, Han Shizhong entered Tieling Pass, and Li Yanxian led his men to greet him.

In front of everyone, Li Yanxian's expression was calm, and Han Shizhong was all smiles. Neither side lost their composure... Or rather, after going through the motions, Prince Han only had his unparalleled standard planted on the pass and directly occupied the most central, highest, and most upright room in the dilapidated fortress to sleep soundly.

Li Yanxian and the others had nothing to say. Not to mention that Han Shizhong's cavalry had gained the most kills last night... Actually, it wasn't much. In the dark, Han Shizhong's troops weren't familiar with the terrain. It was also difficult for cavalry to pursue. Plus, many Jin soldiers had lost their way. Not many people actually reached the pass and entered the danger zone... Only seven or eight hundred kills, a third of the actual enemy forces, and they hadn't even captured Wanyan Zhehe.

But whether it was this seven or eight hundred or the one or two thousand from the battle in front of the Stork Tower, Han Shizhong's troops had basically obtained all the kills against the main force of the Jin army’s *mouke* and *meng'an* since the start of the war.

One person was worth more than the total kills of the other nine military commissioners combined, and it was basically all done by him personally.

Rounding it up, after twenty more battles like this, the Jin army wouldn't need to fight anymore. They could just call it a decisive defeat, surrender, and let their country be destroyed.

Plus, he was the only Prince, the Marshal of Hedong appointed by imperial decree, naturally qualified to look down on anyone, especially Li Yanxian, who had just suffered losses.

Compared to Prince Han, Ma Kuo, *zi* Zichong, another meritorious rescuer who arrived with great effort at noon, was even more amenable. He was even somewhat cautious... There was no helping it. It wasn't just that Ma Kuo's own status was clearly different from Li Yanxian's, nor was it about Prince Xin. More importantly, after this battle, Tieling Pass had been stabilized, and the Taihang Righteous Army was officially back in the fold. He had to fight for enough benefits for the Taihang Righteous Army, and he didn't dare to offend anyone at this time.

However, Ma Kuo was even more tired than Han Shizhong. He barely watched Li Yanxian arrange camps for his troops on the pass, and then he couldn't hold on any longer. He found a room and fell asleep.

But Ma Kuo didn't sleep long. Around late afternoon, he rolled over and dared not sleep anymore. Then he came out directly, found some cold water and just washed his face. He was about to go out when someone was already waiting respectfully at the door, saying that Marshal Han had already woken up and was looking at the situation with Military Commissioner Li on the pass. They specifically instructed to invite Governor Ma to climb the pass as soon as he got up.

Ma Kuo naturally had nothing to say.

However, it was said to be climbing the pass, but Tieling Pass was really not a strategic pass. It was just a choke point. During the Five Dynasties, the Hedong area was particularly important, so it gradually became known... But it wasn't a great reputation, nor a good reputation.

But then again, after this battle, I'm afraid it will have some fame.

Not to mention anything else, three of the ten military commissioners of the Great Song were actually gathered in the pass at this time. Looking northeast towards Quwo, less than twenty *li* away on the banks of the Hui River, there was also a proper Jin Dynasty marshal with two well-known *minggan*, enough to leave some historical sites.

Enough with the digressions. It is said that Ma Kuo received the message, just entered the small courtyard inside the pass, and had not yet climbed the pass, when he first saw two large standards standing on the gate tower. Among them, the 'Unparalleled in the World' standard stood in the center unreasonably, pushing the 'Pillar of the Central Plains' standard to the side, almost making it appear cramped. He secretly cried out that things were bad.

When he really climbed this third-class small gate tower and just turned around, he was startled again... It turned out that a small gate tower surface actually gathered dozens of people densely packed.

And it would have been fine if these people were just guards, but the key was to look at their attire. If they weren't commanders, they were also chiefs, at the very least personal instructors or staff. They were all figures in their own right in ordinary times, but at this time they were just standing there shoulder to shoulder, not daring to say a word.

While feeling more and more nervous, for some inexplicable reason, Ma Zichong couldn't help but think to himself, if Balisu could get a matching heavy trebuchet, and smash it with one shot, not even a gunpowder cannon, I'm afraid this Northern Expedition would have to be called off.

"Governor Ma has arrived." One person turned back and looked around, his eyes like lightning, and he was the first to abandon his seat and get up to greet him.

Ma Kuo saw from afar that this person's seat was in the center, and his demeanor was majestic. Moreover, although he was only wearing a light and soft cotton cloth, he was wearing a luxurious jade belt abruptly. He knew that this person was Han Shizhong, whom he had met once in Hebei in the past, and immediately bowed his hands to greet him, not daring to neglect him in the slightest:

"Prince! Marshal! Ten years since we last met, Prince is still so unrestrained!"

Han Shizhong saw that Ma Kuo was so sensible and also mentioned their past relationship, so he laughed heartily and took the initiative to come forward to shake hands.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Ma Kuo also saw Li Yanxian standing aside with a calm expression, so he didn't dare to neglect him: "Military Commissioner Li, we were in a hurry at noon, and we didn't have time to talk about our old friendship in our hometown..."

It turned out that these two were actually neighbors from the same county, one from Longxi and one from Didao.

When Li Yanxian heard the other party bring up this relationship, he couldn't continue to be pretentious, so he quickly came up to shake hands and greet him.

After another round of greetings, the three of them sat down on the three chairs prepared side by side on the pass. Sure enough, Han Shizhong was in the center, Li Yanxian was on the left, and Ma Kuo was on the right, without any mistakes.

After the three of them were seated, they said some idle words pointing to the large-scale construction of the camp below the pass. Li Yanxian also roughly thanked the two for their support last night, and the atmosphere cooled down.

As for Ma Kuo, he had already noticed that the atmosphere was not right, and he knew that no one else had room to interject, so he quickly made jokes and praised the two.

However, after saying the joke that if Han Shizhong fought twenty more battles like this, the Jin people would be completely wiped out, Han Shizhong's reaction was a bit over the top.

"Governor Ma's words... make it sound like I, Han Shizhong, am not a person." As soon as Han Shizhong said this, he raised his head and laughed loudly. The laughter was so loud that it echoed between the mountains and ravines on both sides, and it was continuous, showing that Prince Han's breath was sufficient.

With this laugh, Li Yanxian and Ma Kuo had no choice but to force a smile and laugh along, but they soon stopped, because they had already realized that what was coming would definitely come.

Sure enough, Han Shizhong stopped laughing after a long time, but he didn't speak to Ma Kuo, who had told the joke. Instead, he turned his head to Li Yanxian:

"Military Commissioner Li... tell me, am I a person?"

Li Yanxian's expression did not change: "I have only heard that Prince Han has been writing and making good poetry in Chang'an these years. I have never heard that Prince Han went to Zhongnan Mountain to become an immortal."

"Yes." Han Shizhong looked at the still chaotic scene below the pass and sighed with a smile. "I am also a mortal... I was a vagabond in Yan'an Prefecture when I was young, and I didn't realize anything. When I grew up a little, I was muddleheaded on the border, and I felt that everything was possible. But in fact, it was not until I met a wise ruler in the Jianyan era that I became successful and somehow got a jade belt... And today, after reading a little bit and having some other achievements and knowledge, I started thinking about serving the ruler and the world all day long, and earning a name before and after my death, but I didn't expect that my hair had already turned white." At this point, without waiting for the surrounding people to speak, Han Liangchen directly pointed to Wang Shixiong behind him. "Do you know, this guy has been practicing martial arts with me, and he started letting me win a year ago? It can be seen that I am really a mortal, not a god."

Not to mention Li Yanxian and Ma Kuo, but the dozens of commanders, righteous army leaders, and accompanying staff and personal instructors standing behind the three of them almost all looked at Wang Shixiong in surprise... This is a man who can beat Prince Han!

But the awe-inspiring Wang Shixiong stood there with his knife, only feeling guilty.

In this kind of occasion, everyone knew that Prince Han was going to lose his temper and set a hierarchy for Military Commissioner Li, but could these people interject between these two? What's more, become the focus of everyone's attention?

In fact, it was indeed the case. When the people on the pass came back to their senses, no one dared to speak.

Li Yanxian was stunned for a moment, but he still remained calm: "I still remember at the beginning of the Jianyan era, when the Imperial Guard was first established, Prince Han went to Nanjing and watched the generals accompanying the emperor, and claimed that he should be the first in the world. How did you lose your vigor now?"

"It's not that I've lost my vigor, but that I have to speak according to the official's 'seeking truth from facts'." Han Shizhong supported his jade belt and replied casually. "Since I am a person, not a god, then I will be born, grow old, get sick, and die. On the battlefield, if I don't wear armor, I will be shot to death by arrows, stabbed to death by iron spears, and smashed to death by hammers and axes... Military Commissioner Li, tell me, am I right or wrong?"

These words are very taboo in the army, and the atmosphere is already very bad when they are said at this time.

Li Yanxian's face was as deep as water, and he simply shut up.

But there was no way Han Shizhong would let him go like this: "What's more, what's wrong with my words today and my claim to be the first in the world? Am I, Han Shizhong, no longer unparalleled in the world today? Which of the 300,000 Imperial Guard heroes dares to say that they have surpassed me? Qu Da, Wu Da, and the old Zhang, those useless trash seedlings who were suppressed by me in the Western Army, not to mention them. Yue Fei is also a young marshal and his martial arts are rare and good, but even he, would he dare to say that he is invulnerable on the battlefield and cannot be stabbed to death by a Jin soldier's spear or chopped to death by a knife?"

Li Yanxian was still silent.

"Even you, Military Commissioner Li, pillar of the Central Plains, what a big name! Guarding Shanzhou for eight years, dividing the east and west, so that the Jin people could not unite their forces, this credit is the greatest... But even so, are you, Military Commissioner Li, not a person?" Han Shizhong continued to look at him teasingly.

As soon as these words came out, the faces of the Shaanxi-Luo military officers under Li Yanxian's command on the pass all changed, and Ma Kuo also became completely nervous.

After a long pause, Li Yanxian, who was pushed to his limit, finally opened his mouth, but he still remained calm in public: "Prince Han is joking. Even if I am confused, I know that the merit of Shanzhou is actually an awkward thing that is neither up nor down. How can it be compared to Prince Han serving in front of the emperor since before the Jianyan era? No merit is greater than saving the emperor..."

"If you say that, you are still not convinced." Han Shizhong interrupted him with a sneer. "You still think you are a genius, and if you were not tied down by Shanzhou, you would definitely be like Guan Yu shaking China. That's why you were wanted by Li Gongxiang back then..."

"Was that Li Gang right, or was I right?" Li Yanxian's face finally changed.

"You two..." Ma Kuo quickly interjected, seeing that things were not going well.

Unexpectedly, the two of them ignored him at all. Han Shizhong just laughed and shook his head: "I'm not here to talk about old things today... Military Commissioner Li, I only ask you one thing. You are a well-known hero in the world, a wronged Guan Yu, but are your 30,000 to 40,000 Shaanxi-Luo Imperial Guard soldiers all heroes in the world like you? If so, why couldn't they even move after being raided last night, and could only wait for me and Governor Ma to come and save them? Didn't they just capture two cities and run one hundred and forty-five *li*, how did they collapse?"

Hearing this, Li Yanxian secretly exerted force with his left hand pressing the armrest of the chair, but his face became calmer instead: "Is Marshal going to investigate yesterday's battle and enforce military law here?"

"Enforce military law my ass!" Han Shizhong sneered non-stop. "You didn't write a rebellious poem like Qu Da, and you didn't beat Minister Hu, so I can't whip you to a pulp, right? Even yesterday's military affairs are not something that I, the marshal, can ask about... Didn't the bell-ringing golden-token messenger just arrive today, saying that Li Qiong is also coming? It's just that the river channel in Shanzhou is a bit narrow, so he's coming a bit slow?"

Li Yanxian's lips moved, and after waiting for a moment, he lowered his voice to reply:

"I will ask the emperor for punishment for what happened last night."

"Why do you need to ask for punishment?" Han Shizhong continued to sneer, but he turned back to the chair again and pointed to the generals behind him. "There are more than a dozen secret message boxes on and below this pass, and there are also more than a dozen documents from the Imperial City Division and the Military Intelligence Division... I'm afraid that the three of us may not be as clear about those confused accounts yesterday and last night as the official over there in He'yin."

Li Yanxian finally lost his composure: "So, Prince Han is just here today to specially ridicule Li?"

"What if I ridicule you?" Han Shizhong finally became solemn. "Military Commissioner Li, we are all old soldiers... No matter how strange what happened last night is, it can't be blamed on anyone else. It's just your responsibility for being greedy for merit and rashly advancing! If it wasn't for you to compete for merit, deploying the entire army to raid, causing the generals and soldiers to be exhausted, otherwise, with just those few thousand scattered cavalry of Wanyan Zhehe, how could they have been able to break through the camp of nearly 20,000 people? Moreover, it would be fine if you were just competing for merit, after all, there is this Tieling Pass that can be used as an excuse, but I ask you, why did you only report to the emperor and not explain to me this time?"

Li Yanxian's face was as deep as water, but he couldn't refute it.

In fact, without waiting for the Jin army to raid the camp later, he had already realized his carelessness and fatal mistake after arriving at the pass yesterday evening... Because at that time he discovered that his so-called main force, which had traveled a long distance and captured four cities, Xia County, Wenxi, Cao Zhang, and Dongzhen, along the way, was already so exhausted that it had lost its basic organization and combat capabilities.

At that time, he could only maintain a marching inertia and external momentum, but the inside was already vulnerable.

Therefore, he did not choose to attack the choke point of Tieling Pass at the first time yesterday, because he was afraid that a direct attack would fail and expose this fact.

In sharp contrast to this was the vanguard of his subordinate, the Lu He Shang, who, with a mere few hundred men, chose to seize the pass without hesitation when they arrived at the pass in the morning.

Therefore, not to mention that he could not prevent the Jin army's raid later, nor did he have the ability to prevent it, even this Tieling Pass was captured by luck.

"And what do you have to say about Guan Bei... Military Commissioner Li, what do you have to say about the battle during the day and the explosion of the camp at night?!" Han Shizhong was still holding on to Military Commissioner Li. "It's your credit for seizing Tieling Pass, but with so many people dead, is it a victory or a defeat?"

Hearing this, Ma Kuo, who had been tensing up carefully, also changed his attitude somewhat - although Li Yanxian had always been in contact with the Taihang Mountains and had some friendship, the problem was that the two sides were equal after all. Before he arrived, the army suffered heavy casualties in Li Yanxian's hands, and some of it had to be blamed on this pillar of the Central Plains.

"What exactly does Prince Han want to say?" Li Yanxian finally became impatient.

"Simple." Han Shizhong was too lazy to say any more. "I just want to tell Military Commissioner Li... This battle is a national war, Hedong is the main attack, the emperor is the commander-in-chief, I am not, I, Han Shizhong, and the Left Army of the Imperial Guard are actually the vanguard! What vanguard are you competing for?! Can you compete for the vanguard position?"

Li Yanxian tried very hard not to bite his fingernails.

Because he knew that there was no point in refuting and losing his composure here... It was one thing that Li Yanxian's political status and military qualifications were not as good as Han Shizhong's; it was another thing that he had lost last night and accepted favors; the most important thing was, as Han Shizhong reminded him, the real decision maker was Zhao Guan, and every single thing here could not be hidden from that Zhao Guan, who had won over the commander level in He'yin.

Han Shizhong's pretense was half-true, and it was meant for Zhao Guan to hear.

Perhaps, there was even a bit of deliberate performance in it, so he deliberately broke up with himself in order to reduce suspicion.

A silence that made the generals behind him feel guilty, and the one who broke this silence was not Governor Ma, who suddenly realized something, but a rumbling of horses' hooves and a five-colored flag holding up the sun.

Balisu had arrived, and he had brought a large number of Jurchen cavalry, which caused the Guan Bei troops, who had just established a little camp regulation, to fall into chaos again.

Without anyone needing to remind him, Shao Long, the commander of the Middle Army of the Imperial Guard, hurriedly went down the pass to restrain the camp in front of the pass.

Han Shizhong sat on the chair, motionless, just looking at the smoke and dust under the flag with a smile that was not a smile. When the smoke and dust gradually subsided, he turned his head in the seat three times and ordered, but he smiled like a spring breeze: "Wang Shixiong, go down and ask Balisu for me..."

"H-how do I ask?" Wang Shixiong was a little nervous for a moment.

"Ask him if he saw my big standard clearly? If he sees it clearly, tell him to get out, get back to Liaodong for me, and I will spare his life." The Prince of Yan'an, Han Liangchen, pinched the jade belt around his waist and smiled.

ps: Thanks to the two bosses, Silent Watermelon and tell Xiaoguo, for their rewards... Boss tell Xiaoguo is someone I chatted with from Zhihu...

I'm so sleepy, I'm also adjusting my schedule, so I'm out tonight. Consider it a leave of absence.