In the Privy Council, Du Zhongxiao, Zeng Gongliang, and Zhang Fangping sat around, looking at the map on the table.

Zeng Gongliang said: "Deputy envoy, Yelu Hongji has occupied Huai'an, and there is only one pass in Tiancheng County from Datong Mansion. Now it seems that Yelu Chongyuan can no longer support it, and it is estimated that it will not take until the summer for Yelu Hongji to unify the Khitan. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "If there is no Hequ Road of this dynasty, when Yelu Chongyuan loses Confucianism, he should admit defeat and serve Yelu Hongji as the Khitan emperor." With the river meandering road, Yelu Chongyuan has a way to retreat, it really can't work, can you still return to this dynasty. In the current situation, whether the dynasty wants to or not, the Khitan will prevent us from sending troops and occupy its Xijing Road. ”

Zhang Fangping said: "What does the deputy envoy mean, is he waiting for Chongyuan to take refuge?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "A year ago, the army of Hequ Road came out, and Yelu Chongyuan didn't dare to take risks, so he was honest in Datong Mansion." When Han Qi returned to Shengzhou with the army, he thought that there should be a movement in Chongyuan. However, no matter what Yelu Chongyuan thinks, the war against the Khitan must be based on the current dynasty, and cannot be pinned on others. The Holy One asked us to report the above in three days, and we didn't have to think about the heavy yuan. ”

Zeng Gongliang nodded and said, "Yelu Hongji led an army of 300,000 and attacked Datong Mansion all the way from Youzhou. The terrain around Datong Mansion is complex, there are many passes, and the heavy yuan does not fall, and it cannot be attacked for a while. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The generals who follow Chongyuan are going to fight for wealth and wealth, once they are defeated, how many people can fight?" Persevering until now, Chongyuan is no longer easy, can he still fight to the end? Although the Khitan does not have the rule of father's death and son's succession, it has been several generations now, and Hongji is still more popular than Dayuan. The Khitan war should be based on a speedy end, and the dynasty should strive for the greatest benefits. ”

Zhang Fangping said: "Last year, the deputy envoy attacked the Western Regions, and in winter he destroyed the party, and the imperial court paid a huge amount. If you fight with the Khitan too much, I'm afraid that the court won't be able to support it. Moreover, the terrain of Datong Mansion is complex, and it is not easy to dispatch a large army to transport grain. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "This is the most important thing." Although the imperial court has increased a lot of money and grain in recent years, it has spent more money and grain in successive wars. Originally, if the party was destroyed now, Captain Di Taiwei led the army to Hedong Road and cooperated with Hequ Road, we could capture Datong Mansion. Captain Di is still trapped in Lingzhou, with Hengshan in the middle, so there is no way. ”

After speaking, Du Zhongxiao pointed to the map and said: "From Shazhou to attack Datong Mansion, the nearest is to start from Zhenwu County and climb over the mountains. This road is actually not easy to walk, and it is a circuitous back road, which is not suitable for the army. What is really suitable for the use of troops against the party is to start from Shengzhou, along the mountain road, and directly attack Datong Mansion. There is another one, which is to cross the Yanmen Pass from Daizhou and take Shuozhou. The most convenient way to go through these roads is to cross the Yanmen Pass. Only take Shuozhou, there is no dangerous road to Datong Mansion, a road. ”

Zeng Gongliang and Zhang Fangping looked at the map, and after a while, said: "What does the deputy envoy mean, is it to send troops from Hedong Road and cross Yanmen Pass?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "It may not be from Hedong Road. To be honest, although the road of Yanmen Pass is close, the Khitan defense is also strict. It is best to choose the right time, start from Shengzhou, sweep all the way through the mountains, and divide the troops into two roads at the intersection. went all the way south to take Shuozhou, so that the Khitan soldiers and horses guarding Yanmen Pass were useless. The other road guards the mountain road and looks at Datong Mansion from afar. ”

Zeng Gongliang frowned when he heard this: "What does the deputy envoy mean, not to take Datong Mansion, but only Shuozhou?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "I thought about it all night last night, and if I think about it carefully, I'm afraid that there are not many opportunities to take Datong Mansion." As long as Yelu Hongji's army passes through Tiancheng County, Chongyuan's soldiers and horses may surrender in large numbers. And the soldiers and horses of the Hedong Road with the Hequ Road did not prepare in advance, and they really did not have much chance of winning against the Khitan army. In this party battle, the imperial court prepared for several years, mobilized more than 300,000 soldiers and horses, and the road went smoothly, and it took more than four months, and the war has not ended until now. To fight the Khitan, in such a hurry, how can it be enough? ”

Zhang Fangping nodded: "What the deputy envoy said is true." The first battle of the party cost a lot of money and food. The grain and grass accumulated in Guanzhong and Jingxi Road in the past few years have all been exhausted, and finally two Huai grains and rice have to be transferred. Fighting against the Khitan, once it is a long time, you will face a shortage of food. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "If a big country like Khitan wants to fight, it must be prepared for many years before it can have spare strength. If there is no party war, this dynasty can take the opportunity of the two emperors of Khitan to stand side by side and plot its Xijing Road. Now, that chance is slim. Now that the state is prosperous, there is no need to risk the Khitan, and it is better not to take Datong Mansion. If you only take Shuozhou, and use the Hedong Road of Hequ Road to work together, there is still a chance. ”

Zeng Gongliang and Zhang Fangping looked at the map and didn't speak for a while. The status of Datong Mansion was too important, and if the Song army attacked there, it could easily develop into a national war between the two countries. In the past few years, the Hequ Road was opened, the Western Regions were pacified, and then the party was destroyed, and the Song army had no spare strength for a while. Shuozhou is located in a remote area, located between Daizhou and Shengzhou, and can be occupied. When the Great Song Dynasty was founded, there were many fierce battles with the Khitan in this generation, and it was only when it was in the Taizong Dynasty that it was finally occupied by the Khitan.

The most important thing is that Shuozhou is already in the Datong Basin, and it is all the way to Datong Mansion. In the future, if you compete with the Khitan for Datong Mansion, you can use Shuozhou as a base for advancement. At that time, you can assemble a large army, as in this attack on the party, and directly suppress people with momentum.

After looking at it for a long time, Zeng Gongliang straightened his waist and said, "If you only take Shuozhou, it will be much easier." Yelu Chongyuan takes Datong Mansion, we can attack Shuozhou directly, he has no time to defend. When we take it, even if the Khitan army comes, we can hold it. ”

Zhang Fangping said: "Now the railway only goes to Xinzhou, if Shuozhou is occupied, it is not difficult to extend to Daizhou." With the railway, Shuozhou is like iron. Later, when the imperial court had spare strength, it would be much easier to take Datong Mansion from Shuozhou. ”

Although now that the Khitan is in the civil war, the Song Dynasty has a rare opportunity, but if the appetite is too big, I am afraid that I will not be able to eat it. Even though the money and grain have been overcharged in the past few years, the imperial court has some savings, and last year's war was also used up, so it could not go to war directly with the Khitan.

Looking at the map, Du Zhongxiao said: "Even if our goal is to only take one city in Shuozhou, we can't do it in terms of momentum. Han Qi immediately led the army and returned to Shengzhou. When the Hongji army entered Datong Mansion, the army set out from Shengzhou and swept through the mountains. Pacifying within a radius of hundreds of miles, connecting Shengzhou, Shuozhou, and Daizhou is the biggest advantage for the Khitan. Those mountain places were originally the places where the Khitan used to raid daily, and the Fan households were not loyal to the Khitan. Moreover, our march also made the Khitan worry about Datong Mansion and did not dare to go south to fight in Shuozhou. ”

Zeng Gongliang said: "This is feasible. You can send another road of soldiers and horses to start from the side head village and surprise attack Shuozhou. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "We just set a strategy for taking Shuozhou, and how to fight should be discussed with Captain Han on the front line." Looking at his opinion, the rear stepped up the delivery of supplies to Shengzhou. To take Shuozhou's soldiers and horses, you don't need too many, one or two thousand people. One or two thousand people, the savings of the imperial court should be able to support. Coupled with the soldiers and horses of Daizhou on Hedong Road, they should be able to hold it. ”

Zhang Fangping thought about it and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Deputy envoy, don't hide it, since Lingzhou is not under the line, most of the materials have to be sent there." Now there are more than 10,000 people who can support the soldiers and horses fighting on the meandering road. No matter how much there is, the grain and grass can be temporarily transferred from Jingdong Road, and the guns and ammunition are only insufficient. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "More than 10,000 people, only guarding Shuozhou, it should be enough." The Khitan civil war has been going on for many years, and it is impossible for a large army to attack a city in Shuozhou. If there are not many people coming, and more than 10,000 people defend the city, they will not be able to take it. ”

As long as the Song army ensured that there was no shortage of artillery ammunition, it would not be easy for the Khitan to defend Shuozhou City. Although the Khitan has artillery, it is mostly used to defend the city, and the artillery for field battles has not yet been able to attack the city. The technological gap between the two countries is not so easy to catch up.

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