Du Zhongxiao looked at Liuzhong City, the city wall was broken, and many new graves had been added outside. asked Zhang Qi beside him: "Look at the way it looks here, is Liu Zhong not offering the city, and still resisting desperately?" ”

Zhang Qi crossed his hands and said: "Yes, the army is coming, and Liuzhong will not surrender to death." After fighting for a long time and blasting open the city gates, the city lord led the defenders in the city to fight in the streets, and most of them died. When attacking Puchang in front, as soon as the city gate was broken, the city lord surrendered, but he didn't expect Liuzhong to be so difficult to fight. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Thousands of miles of battle, how innocent are the people!" However, in a big war, many people died. Most of the natives of the Western Regions were not Uighurs, and they should not have served the Uighurs. This place is so well guarded, is the city lord a Uighur? ”

Zhang Qi shook his head: "No, but I am in-law with the royal family, I really don't understand." ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Don't care, now try your best to appease the people in the city and restrain the army not to disturb the people." During the war, the commercial shops in the city continued to be opened, and soldiers were sent to supervise them, and the people were not allowed to be exploited. The biggest reliance we have here is that the people's hearts are toward the Central Plains, and we must not lose the people's hearts. ”

Zhang Qi nodded in agreement. The battle of Liuzhong was much more fierce than that of Puchang, the city lord defended to the death, and most of the defenders died in battle. After the Song army fired artillery outside the city and blasted open the city gate, there were not many soldiers and the casualties were not large. But the enemy desperately defended and left behind a large number of dead bodies, which is still shocking.

Du Zhongxiao arrived at the City Lord's Mansion, where all Song Jun had been replaced, and said to Zhang Qi: "My Economic Strategy Division is located here." Wait until Zhao Zi captures Gaochang and then move over. Gao Chang can't understand why we are here, why we are attacking. I live here, maybe they'll send someone to ask for a nickname. What is there to ask? When the Uighurs moved westward, did they make it clear why they came to occupy the Western Regions? Now the two countries of Gaochang and Black Khan in the Western Regions are taking advantage of the decline of the Central Plains and sending troops to occupy here. Now that the army is strong, of course the Central Plains will be recaptured. ”

Zhang Qi said: "These barbarians, when they occupy other people's places, are arrogant, and when they are attacked, they talk about etiquette, which is really a strange thing. This dynasty defeated the Khitan first, and then defeated the party, now is the time when the army is the strongest, why not come to the Western Regions? ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded again and again after hearing this: "What you say is right!" After the decline of the Tang Dynasty, how miserable were the defenders who stayed here? How many years did they defend? The Guiyi Army in the east, or Yuan Hao led the troops to attack, what do you have to say? ”

Why did Du Zhongxiao come to attack Gaochang? Now that the two Khitan emperors are standing side by side, the party is so beaten that they dare not go out, and they have more than 100,000 troops in their hands, and as soon as the railway is passed, of course they will come. Gaochang conscripts troops nationwide, and there are only 350,000 people at most, so how can it be justified if they don't come to fight? Moreover, after the whole army is reorganized, the current combat strength of the army also needs to be tested by a war. After winning this battle, the imperial court had the confidence to use troops abroad.

After entering the City Lord's Mansion, Fu Bi and Zhang Sheng had already led people to set up the battle hall, and when they saw Du Zhongxiao coming in, they hurriedly saluted.

Du Zhongxiao said: "Zhao Zi's army has surrounded Gaochang, and tomorrow, Deputy Envoy Zhang will go to the front line of Gaochang." In this attack on Gaochang, winning the hearts and minds of the people is the first priority, and the siege is still secondary. The cannon brought by Zhao Zi has no problem in breaking Gaochang, just look at the cost. After you go, keep an eye on the troops, and do not harass the people while besieging the city. All the materials used in the army should be used as much as possible to bring with them, and they must be requisitioned from the people, and they must be purchased with money. The strategy first allocated 20,000 taels of silver to the front line for use. Remember, after the capture of Gaochang City, this is really the place of the imperial court. However, the Western Regions was originally the homeland of the Han and Tang Dynasties, and many of the local civilians were remnants of that time, so they must not lose their popularity! ”

Zhang Sheng said yes. He was the deputy envoy of the strategy, and according to the rules of the army that should be sent to supervise the army, he should go to the place where it is most needed. Although Fu Bi is also a deputy envoy, he has the responsibility of supervising Du Zhongxiao and must always be by Du Zhongxiao's side. The two judges, Li Fugui was responsible for transporting grain and grass, while Tian Jing stayed in Shengzhou and stayed in the rear. There are more officials on the river meandering road than other economic and strategic divisions, but they all have their raison d'être.

When he arrived at the table in the middle, looking at the large map on the table, Du Zhongxiao said to Fu Bi: "If you take Puchang and Liuzhong, you will open the door from Yizhou to Gaochang." Now Zhang Yu's department has blocked the road for the Yanqi army to return to help, occupied Baishui City, blocked the road to the south of Zhangbali and Beiting, and Gaochang has become an isolated city. Zhao Zi's army besieged Gaochang, and the king of Beiting Khan sent several envoys to ask why he came to attack, but he had not yet sent a large army out of the city to fight. The question now is what will happen to the Uighur armies in Beiting, Zhangbali and Yanqi after taking Gaochang? Will they surrender, or will they choose another Khan to come out and continue to fight against us. ”

Fu Bi said: "As long as Gaochang is captured and the railway is repaired from Yizhou, it doesn't matter what they do." ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "I can't say that. Our two armies of 70,000 or 80,000 people cannot stay in the Western Regions for a long time, and after capturing Gaochang, most of them must be withdrawn, and only one army can be left here. The main force of Gaochang is now in Yanqi, with about 30,000 people. In places such as Zhangbali, Yangji Bali and Beiting, there are about 10,000 people. If they join forces and come to attack Gaochang, the troops remaining in Gaochang will still struggle. So it's best to wipe out the main forces of Gaochang before our army withdraws. Then, it is a sure thing that the Western Regions will return to the rule of the imperial court. ”

Zhang Qi said: "The spies I sent to Yanqi to report that Yanqi has not yet sent troops. I think it was Zhao Zi who blocked the news, and the King of Beiting Khan in Gaochang sent no helpers. Besides, the Black Khan army first occupied Qiuzi, and there was a large army there, and the Yanqi defenders did not dare to move lightly. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "That's another problem. After we occupy Gaochang, what will the Black Khan who is the enemy of Gaochang do? The Black Khanate was now divided into the East and the West, and the Eastern Black Khan was divided into several branches, and relations were not harmonious. When the imperial court entered the Western Regions, it was not clear which of them would cooperate with the imperial court and which would fight to the death with the imperial court. We took in Wei Chi Saburo and in the future we were going to rebuild it in Khotan, which is now the territory of the Eastern Black Khanate. Of course, the Eastern Black Khan may not have known about this, but our attitude has been affected. ”

Speaking of this, Du Zhongxiao patted the table and said: "We now have the advantage in troops, but the Khitan and the party are not evenly tied in the back, and we can't go all out in the Western Regions." In addition, the situation is unclear, and now that Gaochang City is besieged, I don't know what the Black Khanate is doing, so I can only think about it in the long run. ”

Zhang Qi said: "The last general will attack Puchang and Liuzhong City, although Liuzhong resists fiercely, but the soldiers are not strong. If the combat effectiveness of the forces in the Western Regions is like this, then the army can be annihilated. Yanqi is more than 500 miles away from Gaochang City, and after Zhao Zi breaks through Gaochang, he can send a large army to go. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "After defeating Yanqi, we will face off with Black Khan." Now the whole army does not know what the situation in the country of the Black Khan is, even if the imperial court allows it, we should not fight against the Black Khan. The Beiting in the north is fine, as is Zhangbali and Yangji Bali, once they are defeated, they will face the Western Black Khanate. Several khans of the Black Khanate were originally brothers and nephews, and once they were pressed, it would be troublesome for them to unite. ”

Gaochang itself is not strong, especially compared with the Song Dynasty, as soon as the railway is repaired to Yizhou, it can basically come over and exterminate it. Black Khan is different, the territory is much larger than Gaochang, the number of people is unknown, and the number of troops is unknown. Because it was divided into several parts, the battle against Gaochang was actually only a part of the Eastern Black Khanate. If the Song Dynasty pressed too hard, and the various tribes of the Black Khan united, it would be a different situation.

What Du Zhongxiao wanted was just to destroy Gaochang first and live in peace with Black Khan for the time being. After a few years, after understanding the situation in the Western Regions, the railway was repaired to Gaochang, and even to the south to Yanqi, and to the north to Yangji Bali, and then calmly opposite the Black Khan.

The Western Regions are too big, and it is far from enough to build the railway to Yizhou. The attack on Gaochang has been far away for seven or eight hundred miles, and it is already the limit of the Song army's attack. If you go out again, the logistics will be very tight, and you will have to collect war materials from the local area. For Du Zhongxiao, the hearts of the local people in the Western Regions and their attachment to the Central Plains Dynasty must be carefully maintained. If the king is here, it will be even more uncomfortable than the previous army, so it will be really embarrassing. Once the hearts of the people are scattered, even if the Western Regions are recovered, it will take a long time to cultivate, and the cost is too high.

This is the dilemma that Du Zhongxiao faces, the Western Regions are too far away for the Central Plains. There is no railroad to maintain, and those who can not move should not move for the time being, otherwise they are likely to flash their waists.