Guo Yan, a veteran who has been in the officialdom for more than ten years, is naturally not a vegetarian. He was well aware of the twists and turns in the court, and he also understood that the so-called promise was just a strategy, a delaying tactic used to temporarily appease Zhu Zhenhai. Zhu Zhenhai was once a rebel traitor, which caused the court a lot of headaches. Although he later surrendered to the court, who can guarantee that he will not have the ambition to rebel again? After all, the situation is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change. As soon as the imperial court gave him a verbal promise, he thought that he could really become the coach of the Western Route Army. It was really ridiculous. Guo Yan sneered and said to himself: "Zhu Zhenhai, Zhu Zhenhai, do you really think that the imperial court will let you become the coach of the Western Route Army so easily? Stop dreaming, it is just a cover. The imperial court's purpose is to let you continue to serve the imperial court. Work hard and prevent you from rebelling again." Thinking of this, Guo Yan couldn't help but admire the court's foresight. He knew that although the battle for the throne seemed peaceful on the surface, it was actually full of undercurrents and dangers. If you are not careful, you may fall into an irreversible situation. And what about Zhu Zhenhai? He was still immersed in his own dream and couldn't extricate himself. He thought that as long as he captured Zhengzhou, he could become the head coach of the Western Route Army and be granted the title of Crown Prince and Taibao. What a pity, he is so naive!
After the discussion on preparations for war ended, he first exchanged a few words with Zhu Zhenhai, and then cut to the chase and said: "General Zhu, I know you have great expectations for the court's promise. But I want to remind you that the West Route Army Being a coach is not that easy.”
Zhu Zhenhai was stunned for a moment after hearing Guo Yan's words, and then his face turned ugly. He sneered and said to Guo Yan, "Guo Yan, Guo Yan, do you think you can hurt my confidence by saying this? Stop dreaming. ! I, Zhu Zhenhai, am not easily defeated. I will naturally strive for the court’s promise, but whether I can fulfill it or not depends on my ability.” Guo Yan looked at Zhu Zhenhai's arrogant and domineering look and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: "He is such a ignorant guy!" But he also knew that now was not the time to fall out with Zhu Zhenhai, so he suppressed the anger in his heart and turned around and left. Xue Mang kept staring at Guo Yan's retreating back. He didn't dare to approach Zhu Zhenhai until he was sure that the other party was gone. He had a flattering smile on his face, but he couldn't hide the cunning glint in his eyes. "General," Xue Mang lowered his voice and pretended to be mysterious, "you see, General Guo, as the commander-in-chief, doesn't take you as the deputy commander seriously." Zhu Zhenhai was already dissatisfied with Guo Yan, but now that he heard what Xue Mang said, the anger in his heart became even more intense. His face was livid, and he gritted his teeth and said: "This Guo Yan, does he really think that he is great because he is the coach of the Western Route Army? Sooner or later, I will let him know how powerful he is!" Seeing that Zhu Zhenhai was angry, Xue Mang was secretly happy, but he still pretended to be loyal and persuaded: "General, calm down. Guo Yan is just a clown and is not worthy of your anger. You just need to get out of Hulao Pass as soon as possible and attack Zhengzhou." , have achieved great military exploits, the imperial court will naturally fulfill its promise and make you the commander-in-chief of the West Route Army." Zhu Zhenhai's eyes lit up when he heard this, and the anger in his heart also subsided a bit. He pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "You are right. As long as I capture Zhengzhou, the court will obediently let me be the head coach of the Western Route Army. Let's see if this bastard Guo Yan still dares to be arrogant! " However, although the idea was beautiful, the reality gave Zhu Zhenhai a loud slap in the face. He soon discovered that mobilizing an army was no easy task. As the commander-in-chief of the West Route Army, Guo Yan holds the power to mobilize the army. Without his order, it would be extremely difficult for Zhu Zhenhai to mobilize the army. Zhu Zhenhai angrily approached Guo Yan and asked him why he rejected his plan to send troops. However, Guo Yan said coldly with a businesslike look: "The other four armies have not arrived yet, so we cannot act rashly. Don't think that Zhao Yingluo's private soldiers are just a bunch of rabble. They are also well prepared." Zhu Zhenhai. Hearing this, he almost laughed out loud. He said sarcastically: "Guo Yan! Guo Yan! It's no wonder that you are still the commander-in-chief of the Western Route Army, but you are so timid! We are an army of 250,000 people, and as far as I know, the garrison stationed in Kaifeng is only 150,000 or 60,000 people." , how to resist my army's attack on the city?" Guo Yan was completely angered by Zhu Zhenhai's words. He slammed the table and stood up, glaring at Zhu Zhenhai and saying, "This coach has his own reasons for doing things. It's not your turn to dictate! If you dare to mobilize troops privately, don't blame me for being rude!" Zhu Zhenhai stared back without showing any signs of weakness and said, "You're welcome? What can you do to me? I just want to send troops to attack Zhengzhou. Can you handle it?" Guo Yan sneered and said: "Well, since you are so stubborn, don't blame me for not caring about my colleagues. I will report it to the imperial court to punish you!" Zhu Zhenhai's heart trembled when he heard that Guo Yan was actually going to Shuguan's house. The boiling anger was suddenly poured down by a basin of cold water, extinguishing much of it in an instant.
He is not a fool, and naturally knows that confronting Guo Yan at this time will only put himself in an even more unfavorable situation. If he was deprived of his official position by the officials because of this, then Zhu Zhenhai would really become an ordinary citizen of the Song Dynasty, and would never have a chance to stand up again. Thinking of this, Zhu Zhenhai couldn't help but shudder, and most of the anger in his heart dissipated. He glared at Guo Yan, but said nothing. He just turned around and walked away, leaving dust on the ground. Guo Yan looked at Zhu Zhenhai's back with a satisfied smile on his lips. He knew that as long as Zhu Zhenhai didn't act recklessly and stayed under his control, the first victory after the conquest in the future would definitely be his. After all, he is the real coach of the Western Route Army, and Zhu Zhenhai is just a deputy. However, just when the dispute between Guo Yan and Zhu Zhenhai temporarily subsided, Xue Mang had no intention of letting it go. He had been secretly observing the movements of the two of them, and he knew that he had already planted the seeds of resentment in their hearts. Seeing the two of them stop now, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious. This seed was finally planted, but if it cannot take root and germinate, wouldn’t all the hard work be wasted?
…… At the same time, in distant Yanjing, a deal concerning the fate of the two countries was underway. According to the peace agreement between the Jin Kingdom and the Song Dynasty, the envoys of the Song Dynasty finally delivered 500,000 taels of gold and silk to Yanjing after a month's journey. This huge sum of money was undoubtedly a heavy burden for the Song Dynasty, but in exchange for the Jin Kingdom sending troops to help, they had to grit their teeth and bear it. After the envoy presented the coins, he conveyed the news that Emperor Zhao Gou of the Song Dynasty requested the Kingdom of Jin to send troops as soon as possible. Wanyan Sheng sat on a high throne, expressionlessly looking at the gold and silver jewelry in front of him. He was not in a hurry to tell the envoys of the Song Dynasty when the Jin Kingdom would send troops. He just said that he would let the envoys of the Song Dynasty settle in the post house to rest after a tiring journey. Although the envoy was anxious, he did not dare to say anything more. He could only follow Wanyan Sheng's arrangements and go to the post house to settle down. He knew that although this transaction was half completed, the real test was yet to come. He had to find a way to persuade Wanyan Sheng to send troops as soon as possible, otherwise the money would be wasted.