Du Zhongxiao sat in the Shuai Mansion, looking at the official document sent by Zhao Zi, and his brows couldn't help frowning. According to the information he knows now, Gao Chang is nostalgic for the Khitan, and the other is suspicious of the Song Dynasty, and he has never been able to make up his mind to send envoys. With Zhao Zi's entry into Yizhou, the war between Gaochang and Hei Khan has stopped, and troops are being drawn back to Gaochang, and there seems to be an intention to confront them by force.

Putting down the official document, Du Zhongxiao thought for a while, and said to Li Fugui on the other side: "How long can Gaochang's materials be supported?" Also, it snowed heavily a few days ago, and the wind was strong in winter, so rail transport was not affected? Did the people who built the railroad stop? ”

Li Fugui arched his hand: "Hui Jieshuai, Gaochang's materials are calculated according to the reserves, grain and grass can support half a year, but gunpowder guns and ammunition cannot, if there is a big battle, the first war may be over." The train can go, but the speed will be slower, maybe twenty or thirty miles in an hour, less than half of the normal time before. Most of the construction of the railway has stopped, and only the people who repair the roadbed are still working. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Zhao Zi's three thousand soldiers and horses are in Yizhou, and the pressure on Gao Chang is too small. Although Gaochang is small, it will not be afraid of thousands of people. If tens of thousands of people are in Yizhou, the entire Western Regions will be shaken. Thou hast commanded those who build roads on the west side to continue to build them as long as they can. ”

Lee Fugui agreed.

Du Zhongxiao said again: "For the railway to the Western Regions, the imperial court allocated a lot of materials, but it was far from enough to take Yizhou. At the very least, it is necessary to open up the trade routes in the Western Regions. Now Gaochang is hesitating, only allowing the trade route to go north to the Khitan, effectively cutting off the trade route. This cannot go on like this. When the railway arrives in Yizhou the next year, Gaochang will either surrender or have to fight. ”

Li Fugui said: "Jie Shuai, if you fight with Gaochang, I don't know what will happen to Black Khan?" ”

Du Zhongxiao shook his head: "What else can I do?" As soon as the imperial court entered the Western Regions, it was the common enemy of both sides. Now that he has only arrived in Yizhou, the war between Gaochang and Hei Khan has stopped. If the army was stationed, it would not be uncommon for Gaochang and Hei Khan to join forces and fight against the imperial court. ”

Li Fugui said: "I heard that Hei Khan is a big country compared to Gaochang, if the two countries join forces, will there be a threat?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "As long as we attack along the railway and don't rush forward, there is nothing for them to unite." Black Khan is a green religion, Gaochang is a Buddhist country, and the two sides have deep contradictions. It is possible to unite for a while, but if the battle fails, where can it be close? There is no need to think about this matter, as long as the railway reaches Illinois, everything is not a problem. The Western Regions are too big, and there are hundreds of miles between the two places, and it is not easy to build roads. ”

Speaking of this, Du Zhongxiao stood up and walked outside the official hall. Turning around, the Yinshan Mountain Range in the north was like a giant dragon, lying under the sky. The sun was shining brightly, but there was no warmth, and the cold wind gently swept through the treetops.

From Gaochang to Khotan, along the edge of the desert and at the foot of the mountains, there are still about 3,000 miles. Even if it is to repair a simple railway from Hezhou to Juyan, it will take several years, not overnight. The limit of what I can do is to train to Yizhou in the coming year, and the army will go straight to Gaochang City and take the basin in that area. Wei Chi Saburo is going to return to the country, I don't know how many years will be in it.

Thinking of this, Du Zhongxiao was a little irritable. Hequ Road is actually not small, it only took a few months to occupy it, but now I feel helpless in the face of the Western Regions. It's so big, and the population is so small, it takes time.

Since the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the Silk Road in the Western Regions has actually been broken, and China's foreign exchanges have changed to maritime trade. The main reason is that after the rise of the Song Dynasty, the territory of the previous dynasty could not be restored, and the road was not smooth. In Central Asia, Sogdian merchants were still numerous, but the roads for trafficking to the Central Plains were blocked by party items. Without the Central Plains market, the Silk Road would have no meaning of existence.

Du Zhongxiao wanted to enter the Western Regions, or wanted to open up the east-west trade route on land at this time, when Central Asia was still prosperous. At this time, the Byzantine Empire still existed, and as long as Central Asia was opened up and the trade routes between the east and the west were unblocked, everything would have different conditions.

Thinking of this, Du Zhongxiao felt a little irritable. There is nothing to do on the Hequ Road, the conditions for war against the Khitan and the party are not ripe, and there is no difficulty in the Western Regions, but because of the distance and population, it is impossible to touch.

Li Fugui came out of it and said to Du Zhongxiao: "Jieshuai, Deputy Envoy Zhang of Juyan sent a letter, asking if the road from Juyan to Yizhou is still passable, and if you want to send more people to Yizhou." The railway leads to Juyan, where the radius of movement of soldiers and horses has become much larger. ”

Du Zhongxiao shook his head: "Tell Deputy Envoy Zhang that the soldiers and horses are in Juyan first, as long as they protect the road construction team." Between Juyan and Yizhou, there are only two important places, one is under the Horsehair Mountain, which can reach Dangxiang Guazhou, and the other is Xingxing Gorge. Neither of these places can be garrisoned by large armies, and there are so many people that there is no place to find water. In this case, it is useless to increase the Illinois garrison. Wait until the railway reaches Xingxing Gorge before the army can enter Yizhou. ”

Li Fugui agreed, and said: "Zhang Qi's army has been transferred to Hezhou a few days ago, and it is distributed on the railway line from Shengzhou to Hezhou. I heard that the party has been building artillery and increasing the number of troops in the past two years, if Zhang Qi's army leaves, will it-"

Du Zhongxiao said: "After Jia Kui arrived at Hequ Road, he has been studying in Wudu Military City, and at the same time took the soldiers and horses of Linfu Road. With more than 20,000 troops under his command, coupled with the assistance of the soldiers and horses of Yan Yanlu, the party was unable to attack. In the past two years, Qin Fenglu's soldiers and horses have completed the whole training, the army is concentrated in the Zhenrong army, and the party must defend Lingzhou. How bold are they to dare to do anything to the soldiers and horses on the river meander? We don't have to think about party items. ”

Speaking of this, Du Zhongxiao sighed: "With the soldiers and horses under Jia Kui on Linfu Road, there are now 1780,000 troops on Hequ Road. If there is no feats of war, will it not be the same as all the others? Therefore, this time into the Western Regions, as long as the railway is repaired to Yizhou, it will be attacked with heavy troops! ”

Li Fugui was taken aback: "What does the marshal mean, if Gaochang doesn't come to pay tribute in time, he will use force?" ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "Everything is ready, you can't sit back and wait for them to come." These people are still in the same old nature, thinking that in a year or two, nothing will change. But I didn't know that there was a railway, and in a year or two, when the railway arrived at the place, it could not come according to the previous geography. ”

According to the previous custom, the time on the road from Gaochang to the capital will take about a year. After the Battle of Hequ Road, it was normal for Gao Chang to spend several years listening to the news and slowly finding a suitable way to get along with the Song Dynasty. But now it is different, once the railway is built, the long distance is the distance again, and the army can reach it quickly. For the Song Dynasty, the cost of long-distance expeditions was greatly reduced.

After the two Khitan emperors were established, the railway of the Song Dynasty stretched to the front line, and the Hebei Road reached Baozhou, and hundreds of thousands of troops could go forward at any time. According to the degree of mobilization of the Song Dynasty when fighting the Khitan in the past, it was not difficult to concentrate a million troops on the front line. Such a large number of troops was an unbearable burden for the Khitan, especially since the Song Dynasty had not yet fully exerted its national strength.

With the railway, the mobilization capacity of the country has been greatly improved, and the impact of war on the civilian population has been greatly reduced. Du Zhongxiao's idea of the Western Regions was based on this foundation. An army of 100,000 in one direction is not a particularly big thing for the current Song Dynasty, but for Gaochang and Black Khan in the Western Regions, it is irresistible. It is not a pleasant thing to wait here boringly with absolute superiority in hand.

Sighing, Du Zhongxiao said: "It is not easy to repair the railway, especially in this area, it must be stopped in winter, there is no way." When the railway arrives in Yizhou next year, Gaochang will not be allowed to hesitate. It is nothing more than a large army coming out together to fight another battle in the Western Regions. At that time, 30,000 soldiers and horses fought the winding road. Now with an army of more than 100,000 in his hands, can't he solve the Western Regions? ”