Seeing Liu Ji coming, Gan Xing and Yu Chengyue hurriedly saluted: "I've seen the captain!" ”

Liu Ji looked at the two, nodded, and walked into the tent. And the people in the tent hurried to salute.

Looking at everyone, Liu Ji said in a deep voice: "You have heard that there are not many things here, are there any people who don't have important things at hand?" ”

Gan Xing hurriedly said: "Back to Taiwei, a few of us, we have nothing to do for many days, and we count ants here every day——"

"Don't be poor!" Liu Ji said in a deep voice: "If you have nothing to do, come to me with a few of them." General An came back and told him that it would be fine. ”

Several people bowed down and said yes.

Liu Ji looked at the scene in the tent and sighed secretly. When I went from Suizhou to rescue Tanglong Town, the staff officers were the busiest crowd, almost day and night. Now he has become the most idle person, and he has nothing to do every day. Di Qing doesn't need them, it's better to use them himself, and plan the upcoming war well. Do you say that you can't just waste people?

In the Chongzheng Palace, Du Zhongxiao sat on his seat and listened to Zhao Zhen above: "Today's summoning of the ministers is because of the war in the northwest. Yesterday, Di Qing sent a recital, saying that he had arranged soldiers and horses and was ready to attack the party. Captain Jia, how Di Qing's army is arranged, you tell everyone how it goes, see how it is. ”

Jia Changchao praised the wat and said: "According to Di Qing, the Zhenrong army, there are 287,500 soldiers and horses under his rule, with sufficient guns and many horses. The whole army formed a large formation and marched north along the Huluchuan River valley to the Xiangqian Pass. Although there were roads on both sides of the valley road, the party did not have enough soldiers and horses to delay the march of the army. After capturing the reward pass, divide the troops into two ways. One route was personally led by Di Qing to attack the Weizhou Supervision and Military Division of the party. The other way was led by Liu Jishuai to attack the Xishou Supervision Military Division. There are about 150,000 people on each road, and the party will not be able to resist the enemy. After taking the two prison military divisions, they joined forces all the way to attack Mingsha. After capturing Mingsha County, the army swept the surrounding area and first stationed there. Then select capable personnel to build a railway from Zhenrong Army to Mingsha. Later, with the support of the railway, the army went straight up to capture Lingzhou. ”

Wang Deyong on the side said: "Although this march is slow, it is the safest. Mingsha was located between the mountains and the Yellow River, and the railway was built there, and the army was no longer hindered. Relying on there, it is most appropriate to attack Lingzhou. ”

When Zhang Fangping heard this, he couldn't help frowning: "Such a battle will inevitably be delayed." I don't know how long Captain Di predicts it will take to capture Mingsha? How many days will it take to repair the railway? When can you attack Lingzhou? ”

Jia Changchao said: "Taiwei Di predicts that by the end of the year, he should be able to capture Mingsha County. Then mobilize people and horses to build a railway, and the railway will be completed by the summer of next year. By the autumn of the next year, the army can take Lingzhou directly. ”

Zhang Fangping couldn't help but shake his head when he heard this: "Captain, as soon as the army moves, the materials consumed are not comparable to those in the Zhenrong army. Just to prepare for the attack on Lingzhou, it will take a year, which is too long. Although the imperial court has sufficient supplies, it will also be difficult to do so. ”

Jia Changchao said: "What's so difficult? Last year, the harvest in Lianghuai was excellent, and a lot of grain and grass were bought, which were transported along the railway, and there was a lot of support on the road. Nearly 300,000 troops, if they are not so careful, they are afraid that there will be chaos. Although the Hulu River is flat and wide, there are many valley roads leading to the party in the two mountains. If the army is dispersed, the party will send troops from the valley road, for fear that it will eat him and sneak attack. In the battle of Haoshuichuan, the dynasty suffered a lot of losses, and it must be taken as a warning. The terrain there is complex, and it is better to gather large armies than to disperse. ”

Zhang Fangping said: "But nearly 300,000 troops are concentrated in one place, and it is not easy to transport grain for them from the Zhenrong army——"

Jia Changchao said: "Don't worry about this, Captain Di has made proper arrangements, and there will be people in the army to transport grain and grass materials." ”

Zhang Fangping shook his head slightly, and didn't bother to say more. The supply of supplies to the front line is the responsibility of the three divisions, and nearly 300,000 troops are needed, which is not a small amount. Grain and grass are easy to transport, but how can you buy enough for just two Huai? In this way, you need to supply several ways, and the movement can be big.

Wen Yanbo said: "I saw that when Du Zhongxiao Cheng was on Hequ Road, he fought several times, all of them were tens of thousands of people, and he divided his troops into several places, and each time he fought quickly. After a year or two of this delay, it is slowly advancing and being thoughtful, but it is indeed not easy for the imperial court to support people. ”

Jia Changchao said: "This attack on Lingzhou is a battle to destroy the country, how can it be compared with the previous wars?" The imperial court needs to concentrate all its efforts to ensure this battle! ”

Ouyang Xiu on the side said: "Nearly 300,000 troops, in a year, to capture Mingsha, just to occupy the gourd valley. Whether this arrangement is too much delay, it is better to discuss it again. ”

Zhao Zhen saw that the Privy Council and the Political Affairs Hall were fighting fiercely, and said: "Di Qing has been going to Zhenrong Army for several months, and he is familiar with the geography and military situation there, so this arrangement is naturally reasonable. However, is it too conservative for the nearly 300,000 troops to be so cautious? ”

Jia Changchao said: "Back to Your Majesty, it is a little conservative, but it is better to be safe." ”

Zhao Zhen looked at Du Zhongxiao on the side and said, "What does Du Zhongcheng think?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Now the army is different from before, and it has its own establishment. I don't know how many roads the army of Zhenrong Army is divided into, and who are the generals of each road? What are the tasks of these roads? The Zhenrong army arrived at the mouth of the city for more than 200 miles, and it took only seven or eight days to march 30 miles a day. In this way, the front army has arrived at the city of Xiangyikou, and the rear army is still in the Zhenrong army, is it too long? ”

Jia Changchao said: "The front-line army, Captain Liberty Di is arranged according to the specific situation, not all according to the establishment. It was precisely because the march was not easy that Captain Di ordered the whole army to go all the way and not give the party a chance. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Could it be that the former army arrived at the Xiangyikou and waited there?" ”

Jia Changchao said: "They naturally set up camps, prepared siege equipment, and waited for the arrival of the army. ”

Du Zhongxiao was stunned for a while, and he really couldn't think of how to fight this kind of battle, so he had to say: "This way of fighting is different from when he was on the winding road." We have divided the whole army into several routes, and we have clearly planned what tasks we will have in the fight against the enemy and how each unit will march. If there is an accident in the middle, it is natural to change the tactics in time, or use the reserve. With such a whole army together, the parts are not clear, how to say? ”

Wang Deyong said: "Zhongcheng's arrangement is naturally excellent, but the forbidden army can't do it for a while. Once the various departments divide their troops, they are very likely to be seized by the party and unforeseen things will happen. ”

Du Zhongxiao listened, looked at the surrounding ministers, and said helplessly: "The whole army has been trained for several years, and most of the generals have studied in military academies, won't this be the case?" When fighting a large army, it is most taboo to be mixed. It should be clearly organized and the tasks of each ministry clear, otherwise many things cannot be explained clearly. ”

What is Du Zhongxiao's evaluation of this arrangement? It was completely an army of 300,000 people gathered at the end of the railway line, relying on a steady stream of materials and strong military strength to press on. The party is a small country, and if it can't cut off the Song army's railway, there is no way to do it. How can a railway line be cut off? Send a small number of troops, even if they are harassed, the Song army can be repaired as soon as possible. Sending a large army to capture key points, the party can't do it.

Di Qing's arrangement was purely to use the strong national power of the Song Dynasty to overwhelm the party items of small countries. Jia Changchao is right, the biggest advantage of this arrangement is that it is safe, but it uses much more materials. With so much manpower and material resources, there are almost no weaknesses, how can the party be able to stop it? However, a large amount of materials were spent on party warfare, and other aspects of the Song Dynasty were inevitably affected.

Zhao Zhen intuitively felt that Di Qing's arrangement this time was too conservative. Looking at the battles commanded by Hequ Ludu Zhongxiao in the past, the chapters are very clear, except for the general strategy, the back is one thing at a time. The whole army is divided into several roads, and it is very clear who the generals are and what tasks they have. This time, Di Qing's arrangement in the Zhenrong army was different, and the 300,000 army was indecently gathered in one group, and they were not separated at all. The subordinate generals don't know which leader and which way to do anything, but they move forward together.

Is this okay? Absolutely. The party items in the whole country are not enough for the Song Dynasty all the way, and this time the Song Dynasty is a collection of the power of several roads in the north, how can the party resist? Not to mention, there are several other kinds of party and soldiers that cannot be concentrated in Xingling and Xingling.

After being silent for a while, Zhao Zhen said to Du Zhongxiao: "According to Zhongcheng, is there any hidden danger in attacking the party like this?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The biggest hidden danger in this arrangement is that the 300,000 troops gathered together will not make a mess by themselves. If everything can be done in order, I really can't think of how the party should deal with it. No matter where its troops and horses attacked, they would face a powerful main army, and the party could not fight with the strength of the whole country. Of course, managing 300,000 soldiers and horses is not an easy task, and it is not easy. ”

Jia Changchao said: "In fighting against the enemy, the most important thing is to win, to be safe, and not to take risks. The minister thought that although the arrangement of Di Taiwei was a little conservative, it could ensure the destruction of the party and the traitors, and the court should support it. ”

Du Zhongxiao sighed secretly, isn't this nonsense. With the national strength of the Song Dynasty, it can support a strong main army, how can the party be an opponent? Attacking the strong with the weak depends on the time and geography and various means other than military strength. Once the technical conditions are reached, the time and geography are no longer the time to limit, where can a small country still have the strength to compete with a large country.

But for a big country, it can't always be in this state forever, and always use strength to oppress others. Now in the Khitan civil war, it is impossible to fight against the Song Dynasty and the party, so it can be so calm. War has its own laws, and we should follow them.

Fundamentally, Di Qing arranged this arrangement because commanding operations under the new conditions was beyond his ability. Like Du Zhongxiao, it is impossible for Di Qing to clarify the various troops, their respective tasks, and how to march and fight. He is an outstanding general trained by the old forbidden army, but he is really a little powerless to learn new knowledge.

This time, the Zhenrong army went out, and the Privy Council was full of confidence, while the other ministers really had nothing to say.