After entering Datong Mansion, Yelu Hongji was dealing with the demotion of generals for several days. These people rebelled with Chongyuan, and Yelu Hongji hated them all in his heart, and he wanted to kill them all. However, now that it has been reunified, after the chaos, the government and the people want to be stable, so they have to endure it.

On this day, Hong Ji was handling affairs in the palace, and a soldier hurriedly came in and said, "Your Majesty, there is a report from the front that the Song army has forcibly occupied Dezhou in the north." And the army is coming forward and is heading towards the white water! ”

"What?!" Yeluhonki stood up sharply, his face full of anger. Baishuiluo is a Khitan pastureland, and this attack is heavy, and all the generals in the world have been transferred, and there is no army there to defend it now. The Song Dynasty occupied Shuozhou in the south, and also took the opportunity to attack the city in the north, which could not be endured.

After pacing a few steps, Yelu Chongyuan said: "The king of the Northern Courtyard negotiated with Pang in Shuozhou, but there was no progress. Pang Ji pushed everything clean, and only said that the two of them would go to Kaifeng Mansion. If you go to Kaifeng Mansion, it will inevitably be delayed for a long time, and you don't know how to do it then. It seems that they will not stop without fighting with the Song army. Go to the palace to discuss the war! ”

The small yellow door on one side led the decree and went out of the palace to announce the important ministers of the Datong Mansion to enter the palace.

The five capitals of Khitan all have imperial palaces and some official offices. It was originally a four-hour bowl system, and the Khitan did not have a capital in the real sense, and the place where the emperor was located was the center of administration. Hong Ji brought most of the officials this time, and it was convenient to be in Datong Mansion.

After a short time, the ministers entered the palace and were divided into two rules.

Yelu Hongji said: "I just got the report, the Song army in the north Yang Wenguang has broken through Dezhou and is heading towards Baishui. Now that there is no garrison in Baishuiluo, it is not difficult for the Song army to succeed. It is the only way to enter Xijing on the Shangjing Road, and it is also the nearest road for the northern Tatars to pay tribute. ”

Yelu Yixin said: "Your Majesty, the Song people are not small!" Shuozhou in the south, it can also be said that Xiao Ge dedicated the city, but what about Texas in the north? ”

"What's so strange about this?" Xiao Ge has surrendered to the Song Dynasty, and the Texas guard will surrender to the Song Dynasty, what's so strange? ”

Yelu Yixin shook his head again and again: "Where is this matter so simple!" Shuozhou is the south gate of Datong Prefecture, and Dezhou is the main road from the east of Shazhou. The Song people did this, obviously to seize the important places on the periphery of Datong Mansion to facilitate future contention. ”

"If this is the case, before our army comes in the future, why don't the Song people attack Chongyuan from the rear?" At that time, we took Datong Mansion, and we had no choice. Why wait until now, our army is coming, and the Song people are coming to fight for the place. ”

Yelu Yixin thought about it, but couldn't think of a reason, so he had to shake his head.

In fact, the Song army was afraid that after sending troops, Yelu Hongji and Chongyuan would be forced to reconcile quickly, which would be unfavorable. Now that Chongyuan has been destroyed, and the territory has been grabbed from the Khitan, it was decided to send troops. What was seized was the corners and corners outside Datong Mansion, of course it was important, but it was far less important than Datong Mansion.

Yelu Hongji said in a deep voice: "No matter what the intentions of the Song people are, how can they rob the state and county like this?" It seems that if you don't fight, you can't let Song Jun stop! The road in the mountains in the north is rugged, and it is inconvenient to march, and there is the Shuozhou army of the Song Dynasty in the south, so it is inconvenient to go north for a while. It's better to lead the army south first, recapture Shuozhou, and then go north to defeat Yang Wenguang! ”

Yelu Yixin arched his hand: "Your Majesty is wise! The Song people are pressing forward step by step, if they can't repel them, it will be a big disaster in the future! As long as Shuozhou is recaptured in the south, the rest of the Song armies will inevitably retreat. The Song people took a fancy to Shuozhou, but we sent envoys to negotiate, and it was too weak, so it would get more and more intense! ”

The rest of the ministers wanted to persuade them, but when they saw Yelu Yixin say this, it was not good to export again.

Yelu Hongji came with an army of 400,000 this time, and after occupying Datong Mansion, he collected nearly 200,000 troops of Chongyuan, with 600,000 troops, which was the time when the army was strong. Of course, 600,000 troops are just a number, and only about 200,000 people can actually go to the front. The remaining 400,000 people are mostly logistics chores and the like, not men and horses who charge into battle.

At this time, the people of Nanjing Road and Xijing Road, 120 prefectures were certified as civil husbands, and the private savings were emptied to support the front-line army. The Khitan army will not be able to support it for long, at most two or three months, and it will have to retreat. Otherwise, the sixteen states of Yanyun would be eaten by these people.

In Shuozhou, Pang Ji, Zhao Zi, and Jia Kui sat in the official hall to discuss the front-line war.

Pang Ji said: "The new news from Yang Wenguang's department has led a large army to capture Texas and is heading towards Baishuiluo. If nothing happens, the Khitan will be angry, and they are afraid that they will not wait for the envoy to return, and they will fight us. Now Yelu Hongji led a large army to be stationed in Datong Mansion, and it is rumored that he has a total of 400,000 troops, plus 200,000 people who surrendered to Chongyuan, a total of 600,000 people. ”

Jia Kui said: "Datong Mansion has a lot of territory, where can there be so many people!" ”

Pang Ji said with a smile: "This is all the horses of Yelu Hongji in Xijing Road, distributed in the surrounding states and counties, within hundreds of miles. It is impossible to go to the battlefield in an all-round way, and it is already a remarkable thing to be able to draw out the elite, there are two or three hundred thousand people. The Khitan has been fighting for five years, although most of the time it is around one or two states, and there are only tens of thousands of soldiers on the front line, and the loss is not small. This time, Hongji had the heart of victory and requisitioned troops from all over the country to gather enough of these numbers. For the sake of these 400,000 people, Youzhou and Pingzhou prefectures and counties, and even some places in Zhongjing Province, are doing their best. Now, they are about to be delayed for a year, and if they don't stop fighting, they are afraid that they will not be able to support it. ”

Zhao Zi said: "The weather in the north is late in the warm, and in March and April, you can still farm, but you can't count on the harvest." ”

Pang Ji nodded: "According to my estimate, the Khitan army can support in Datong Mansion for a month, and it will be very difficult for two months." If they went north to attack Yang Wenguang, the road would be rugged and inconvenient, and it would be really difficult. So most likely, it is to send a large army to attack Shuozhou. ”

Zhao Zi rubbed his hands: "I and Captain Jia have already lined up in formation, and when the Khitan soldiers come, we will fight with them!" ”

Pang Ji said: "You should have an advantage in arranging your positions according to the terrain." But the Khitan army is several times more than yours, so you have to be cautious in everything. Our strengths in the Khitan army are, first, that there are many cannons, and secondly, that there are guns. The Khitan army originally came to attack Datong Mansion, and I heard that its army had artillery in it, which should not be underestimated. Although our artillery is stronger than the Khitan, and there are more than the Khitan, but they have artillery, and this battle is not so easy. ”

Jia Kui said: "Now the central part of the army is located in the west of the Gray River, including the county seat of Mayi. The position stretched from the western hill to the Gray River. Zhao Zi's troops guarded the east of the Gray River, fought against the water, and connected with our army through pontoon bridges. ”

Zhao Zi said: "Shuozhou is east of the Gray River, and now the peach blossom water is rising, although the Gray River is not wide, there are not many places that can cross the river. If the Khitan army bypasses us and advances southeast along the Gray River, it will only end up in the mountains. However, the gray river cannot threaten Shuozhou. Moreover, there is an important place of Yanmen Pass ahead, and the soldiers and horses of the East Hedong Road can come over at any time. ”

Pang Ji said: "If this is the case, it is the strategy of Ma Yi in the Han Dynasty." The Khitans will not be so confused, and they should still concentrate their forces to attack Mayi. If you can't capture Mayi, everything is useless. Therefore, the key point of this battle is Ma Yi, and the two of you will defend it to the death. Also, Liu Ji's army was in the mountains west of Datong Mansion, and the troops went forward to coerce Huairen, and the Khitan could not ignore their own back roads. ”

Speaking of this, Pang Ji pointed to the map and said to the two: "So in this battle, the Khitan must mobilize all the soldiers to go south." Most of them are fighting with you in Mayi, and there must be a large army in the rear to guard the rear road, and defend against Liu's army here. ”

Pointing to the map, Pang Ji tapped on the desktop and said slowly: "Golden Beach!" ”

Golden Beach is the name of a place in the south of Huairen County, facing the road that comes out of the mountains. This place was very famous in the early Song Dynasty, and it was the main battlefield between the Song Dynasty and the Khitan at that time to compete for this area, and the famous general Yang Ye died there.

The Khitan were coming to attack Shuozhou, and although the road to the south was wide, it was divided in two by the tributaries of the Sanggan River, and the narrow west was its suitable route to the south. Although the Gray River is not wide, it is a practical barrier for the army. There are no bridges on the river, and it is difficult to find a ferry for a while, so if you want to make a detour from the east bank of the river, time does not allow it.

The Song army's troops were to block the Khitan army in Mayi. Liu Ji led the army out of the Golden Beach and copied the back road of the Khitan. Liu Ji did not need to surround the Khitan army, and the strength of the Song army did not allow it. As long as he cut off the grain transportation routes of the Khitan army in front, the Khitan army would not be able to hold on.

Instead of piling up all the troops in Shuozhou, they were divided into several roads, which was the difference of the Song army.

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