Shengzhou Marshal's Mansion, Du Zhongxiao said to Jia Kui who came in: "You have been in Wudu Military City for almost a year, what do you think?" ”

Jia Kui crossed his hands and said: "Hui Jieshuai, I have indeed learned a lot of things. In another year or two, it will be very different. The more than 20,000 soldiers on Linfu Road have all changed their guns, which is no longer comparable to before. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Okay." Sit down and talk. I came to you this time to arrange your soldiers and horses on the Linfu Road. ”

Jia Kui sat down and said, "Jie Shuai just command!" Although there are few soldiers and horses on Linfu Road, it is still possible to prevent party items. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "I'm relieved if you say that." It's already mid-June, the hottest time of the year. Illinois came to report that in these days, the railway can go there. Until now, Gaochang still hasn't sent envoys, nor has he sent people to Yizhou, just pretending not to know. Things can't go on like this, I have reported to the imperial court, the railway is built to Yizhou, and the matter in the Western Regions should have a result. ”

Jia Kui said: "Where it is useful to my Linfu Road, the festival commander will command!" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "I ask the imperial court to issue an edict to let Yu Chi Sanlang after the Khotanese royal family - by the way, the imperial court has given him a new name, named Wei Chi Shouzhong." Let Wei Chi Shouzhong return to Khotan, which was built in Khotan, as the screen of the Great Song Dynasty. The country on the way must not be hindered, otherwise it will be regarded as rebellion. Now the Black Khan wants to give up the former territory of Khotan. This matter is not small, Zhao Zi's army is not enough, I want to take Zhang Qi's 50,000 troops and about 10,000 people from the Shuai Mansion to enter the Western Regions along the railway. As soon as Zhang Qi's army leaves, the defense of this area will be handed over to your army. ”

When Jia Kui heard this, he couldn't help but be taken aback, and hurriedly crossed his hands and said: "Jie Shuai, there are only more than 20,000 people in our department, if the party army comes to attack——"

Du Zhongxiao waved his hand: "The party army, what to attack?" You have more than 20,000 people, and you can't defend a few cities on the meandering road? The most important thing is nothing more than Hezhou, where Zhang Qi's soldiers and horses are in charge, you just need to take care of this side. After occupying the land, if the party wants to dispatch a large army, it can only start from the Hengshan area. With the cooperation of Yan Yanlu, you still can't prevent them? ”

Jia Kui thought for a while, crossed his hands and said loudly: "Obey the general's order!" ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "After I take the army away, you just need to hold on to the city and don't clash with the party." As soon as the party's army moves, Qinfeng Road in the south will not sit idly by, and will send a large army to attack Lingzhou. The party's national strength is up to 3.5 million troops and horses, and less than 100,000 regular soldiers. As long as the army comes to the east and Qin Fenglu attacks with troops and horses, it will have no troops to defend. ”

Jia Kui listened and asked: "What does the marshal mean, the party will not take the army to the west and send troops to attack us?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "It is said to be so. It's just that if the Western Regions is lost, the party's Hexi counties will inevitably not be protected, and it is difficult to say that they will not go crazy. Therefore, you must send scouts and cavalry, and the party will attack them, and bring the letter to the Western Regions. The road is not difficult to walk in this season, and in less than a month, the army can go from Illinois to Hezhou. ”

Jia Kui said: "Obey!" The party had no more than 100,000 troops in Hengshan, and at most 20,000 or 30,000 people could attack north. ”

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "You have studied in Wudu for these days, but you have learned to calculate these." It's just that the party and government system are incomplete, and it won't be so fine. When they attack, it is inevitable that the army of a country will gather together and attack the DPRK with all their might. Now that the party has been targeted in several places in this dynasty, there is no such condition. To put it mildly, now the DPRK will fight the party whenever it wants, and it will be difficult for them to counterattack. ”

Jia Kui said: "What the marshal said is that the last general was negligent. But if the party is like this, the Khitan may not be. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "The Khitan side doesn't want you to care, there is Yang Wenguang." Now he has an army of 50,000, but he is only guarding Shazhou and Zhenwu in a few places, and he can't deal with the Khitans? Besides, Yelu Chongyuan and Hongji fought in Ruzhou for a year, and they couldn't tell the winner, so where did they have the spare strength to attack us. With this ability, they will not let the river meandering road come out. ”

At that time, Yeluren took the initiative to retreat, firstly because of the death of the Khitan Emperor Yeluzongzhen, and secondly, the two emperors stood side by side, and the situation was unclear. If it were at this time, Yeluren would definitely not be so happy, and he would always have to fight. However, as long as the Khitan has not been unified, there is no confidence to use force against the Song Dynasty. This is determined by national strength, and it is also the result of Du Zhongxiao's first entry into Hequ Road.

Seeing that it was not early, Du Zhongxiao said: "It's difficult for you to get Shengzhou, so you will stay here for two or three days." Tonight, I'll pick up the wind and wash the dust for you in the back office. Moreover, the generals of the Shuai Mansion and the people of the Shengzhou Prefecture have not been together for many days, and they are getting together today. ”

Jia Kui said yes. He was originally a general under Di Qing, and after returning from Guangxi Road, he did not go to Qinfeng Road to serve, but came to Hequ Road. Linfu Road has been drawn to Hequ Road for more than a year since Jia Kui was in charge of the Military Horse Division.

In the evening, Du Zhongxiao placed wine in the back office to wash the dust for Jia Kui's arrival. Today, almost all the officials in Shengzhou City have arrived, and there are more people, and it is very lively for a while.

Du Zhongxiao took the wine and said: "The railway has already reached Yizhou, and it is inevitable that the imperial court will enter the Western Regions." Although this road has been built in a hurry, it is not very sophisticated, but the court has spent a lot of money. When money is spent, there must always be something, and you can't get nothing. It's a pity that the people of the Western Regions don't think so. Since the first battle of Hue more than two years ago, the Western Regions have not sent envoys to the present, and Gaochang has not allowed caravans to Yizhou, and has always been from the Khitan Shangjing Road to Shengzhou. How can this be done? What is the use of railways without caravans? Now it seems that the businessmen from Gaochang to Shengzhou are really close to Gaochang. In another month or two, I will lead the army to Yizhou, and I will fight a trade route! ”

Fu Bi said: "Jieshuai, how many troops does Gaochang have?" Zhao Zi and Zhang Qi have an army of 100,000, but they don't know if it's enough. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "According to the news, Gaochang poured the whole country's soldiers, and there were only 350,000 people. The geography of the Western Regions does not allow hundreds of thousands of people to gather in one state, otherwise food and grass cannot be guaranteed. This time, the army of 100,000 was sent out because he was afraid that Black Khan would unite with Gaochang. ”

Bao Zheng said: "Gao Chang and Hei Khan have been fighting for nearly a hundred years, it's not so easy to unite, right?" It's so easy, I didn't fight before. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "These countries are different from our Great Song Dynasty. Fighting, killing, life and death, in their eyes, is not very important. The imperial army entered the Western Regions, and it was not strange for them to unite for their own sake. When the railway arrived, most of the 10,000 troops did not have anything, and the first battle was decided, saving a lot of trouble in the future. - Actually, I hope that the Black Khan and Gaochang will unite, and the army will be concentrated in Gaochang, and the Western Regions will be pacified after the battle. In the future, it will only take water grinding kung fu, and there is no need to fight and kill. ”

The Black Khanate was divided into several parts, brothers and uncles, and the relationship was very complicated. The relationship between the Eastern Black Khan and the Western Black Khan was not harmonious, and now it is the same as the two countries. Within the Eastern Khan, it was divided into several brothers, each based on one side, and it is difficult to say whether they can be closely united. It's just that the place occupied by Black Khan is rich, and there is a trade route to the Central Plains through Qinzhou, so he is relatively richer than Gaochang.

Geography is a crucial factor in fighting a war in the Western Regions. There are not many routes, just a few trade routes, and a string of cities on the trade routes. With Gaochang as the boundary, one is the trade road in the north of the Tianshan Mountains, except for Beiting, the rest of the big cities are all on this road. The other is the southern trade route of the Tianshan Mountains, which is divided into two after Shule. One crossed the green mountains into India or to Persia, and the other went east into Khotan. To occupy the Western Regions is to occupy these two trade routes.

Du Zhongxiao's plan was to use Yizhou as a base and attack Gaochang with all his might. As long as Gaochang is captured, the rest of the cities on the Tianshan North Road are not a problem, and the trade route to the north of the Tianshan Mountains will be opened first. As for the road to the south, it is just a matter of building the railway little by little.

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