When Du Zhongxiao left Bingzhou and returned to the Volcano Army, he had already entered Layue. On the way, Zheng Jian's edict recommending Du Zhongxiao as the judge of the Economic Strategy Division has come down, and the official has been promoted to the palace Zhongcheng, and the Volcano Army is also the judge of the Economic Strategy Pacification Division. The reason why Du Zhongxiao was appointed as a judge was to negotiate with the Khitan in the name of the pacification department. The Volcano Army is too far away from the state to ask for instructions on everything, and someone has to be in charge.

The authority of the judge is extensive, and he is nominally a subordinate officer of the commissioner, acting in accordance with the power of the commissioner. This official can be big or small, full-time or part-time, and even when the matter is over, everything is done according to actual needs. Since the Northwest War, there have been three people who have made achievements in this position, one is Yin Zhu, the other is Tian Jing, and the other is Tian Jing. After the peace negotiation, Yin Zhu and Tian Jing both soared into the sky, and although Tian Jing had twists and turns, he also rose several steps in a row.

However, now is peacetime, there is no war, and it is difficult for Du Zhongxiao to have a chance for Yin Zhu and Tian Zheng.

It has been nearly two months since the Khitan people invaded south, and hundreds of people quietly disappeared into the territory of the Song Dynasty, and there was still no movement in the Khitan, which made Wang Kai and Zhang Qi, who were waiting for the battle, confused. Ningbian Prefecture belongs to Shuozhou, and then it belongs to Xijing Province, and the subordination of the Khitan side is more complicated than that of the Song Dynasty.

Back in the camp, Cheng Wenli, Pan Zhen and other officials came to say goodbye. Anyway, Du Zhongxiao was promoted, and everyone benefited. After the dust settles on this matter, everyone in the Volcano Army will be rewarded for their meritorious deeds.

Du Zhongxiao sent an official letter to Wang Kai and Zhang Qi, introducing the situation of his trip and letting them wait with peace of mind.

On the third day of the lunar month, after a letter from the strategic division, the Khitan finally sent someone to negotiate. To Du Zhongxiao's surprise, it was neither Xijing Road nor Southwest Road to recruit envoys, but Khitan Southwest Road to pacify envoys. Although it has the same name as the Southwest Road, the pacification envoy actually belongs to Nanjing Road, and the envoy is stationed in Yizhou, and the deputy envoy is stationed in Feihu, which is located in the southwest of Nanjing Xijin Mansion. This is the Khitan after the alliance of Lanzhou, the Khitan specially set up an institution to deal with border affairs with the Song Dynasty, corresponding to the various pacification envoys of the Song Dynasty, and it is also the significance of Du Zhongxiao concurrently serving as the pacification judge of Jingluo.

When Du Zhongxiao got the news, he immediately invited Wang Kai and Zhang Qi to the camp to do business, and the three of them discussed countermeasures.

After the camp and field affairs, the three of them sat around the charcoal tray, each roasting their hands.

Zhang Qi said: "Although Ningbian Prefecture is privately established by the Khitans, it is a military state after all. Now that there are no soldiers and horses, the city has been broken by the Tibetan tribe, and the Khitans have ignored it for two months, which is really calm. Zhijun, what do they really mean? ”

Wang Kai groaned and shook his head: "There is indeed something wrong. When such a major event happens, it is said that Xijing Province should have gotten the news a long time ago. Even the Khitan envoy of Fengzhou should have heard of it, but he didn't see the movement of troops and horses. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Let's try to analyze why the Khitan people are so abnormal. Let's talk about the Khitans who entered the Kou, they attacked Tanglong Town first, and then went to Dongjiazhai, and they understood that they had entered the Kou. No matter what we do, they deserve it. In the end, it was the Tibetan tribe that broke through the Yongbian Prefecture, and they fled into the party after plundering, and did not come to their own dynasty. The southwest road of the Khitan recruited the envoys, and the right thing is the party, and it is there that should be guarded against now. ”

Wang Kai and Zhang Qi nodded, and they understood what Du Zhongxiao meant. The defeat of the Khitans in Yongbyon Prefecture finally led to the party members. The year before last, the Khitans had just been defeated in the party, and now they are angry, but they are afraid that they have taken in the rebels. The Song Dynasty and the Khitan were allies, and although this relationship was not strong, it was much better than that of the party members.

The Khitan Southwest Road Envoy was stationed in Fengzhou, which was set up after the rise of the party, and it was to prevent the party from entering the army. Xijing Datong Mansion was originally Yunzhou, after the defeat of the Khitan in the party, it was promoted to the Beijing Mansion, and the Shanhou area was independent from Nanjing Road as Xijing Road, which is still an anti-party item. In the final analysis, the Khitan layout in the area behind the mountain is based on the party as an imaginary enemy, and the defense of the Song Dynasty is secondary. If the Fan Department of Ningbian Prefecture is finally broken, it will be okay if they do not flee into the party, and flee there, and now the Khitan people's minds are only afraid of how to take those people seriously.

Du Zhongxiao said again: "This area, in the final analysis, is similar to the situation during the Three Kingdoms. Although the party is small, once it defeats the dynasty, and then defeats the Khitan, no one dares to underestimate him. As long as the party is involved, the Khitans will definitely act cautiously. ”

Wang Kai said with a smile: "In this way, in the end, those who escaped from the Tibetan tribe escaped into the party, but they helped us." ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "I'm afraid that's it." So in the end, the Khitan came forward to appease the envoy on the Southwest Road. The meaning is very clear, that is, to treat this incident as an occasional conflict at the border, and the two sides are just fighting some lip lawsuits. ”

Zhang Qi smiled when he heard this: "This is really interesting! We had a fight with the Khitans, but in the end we were led to the party members. Zhijun, in this case, how should we negotiate with the Khitan? Occupy the place, that is, no matter what, you can't let it out. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's easy to occupy an area, but it's hard to keep it." These hundreds of miles of land are vast, but the mountains and rivers are broken, and there are not many places suitable for human habitation. In my opinion, it will not be easy to defend the most critical passes. It is also necessary to work hard in the territory to cultivate the fields in order to provide grain and grass. To the east of the partial head village, from the barren mountain to the mouth of the Chenjia Valley in the northwest of Yanmen, this line is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is an important place in all dynasties. Especially in the area of Chenjia Valley, the valley of the Hui River is wide, and 100,000 horsemen can pass through calmly, and it cannot be allowed to the Khitans. If we occupy these places, we can protect Shuozhou and Datong. ”

Zhang Qi was most familiar with this area, and pondered for a while and said: "We want these places, but we are afraid that the Khitan people are unwilling." Especially from Ningyuan Village to Chenjiagukou, the most important thing is that the Khitan people will not easily allow us. ”

Du Zhongxiao sighed: "Yes, this line is occupied by this dynasty, and the Khitans are left all the way from Shuozhou to Yanmen Pass." Even if the Khitans don't allow it this time, we can't easily allow it to the Khitans, the big deal is that the demarcation is not clear, or it depends on who occupies it in the future. ”

This area is a place where the Khitan and Song dynasties did not have a clear demarcation, and it is also the hardest hit area by the Khitan people. During the Xining period in history, the Song Dynasty lost hundreds of miles of land, and it was here. A victory, and then taking advantage of the opportunity of the Khitan and the party to fight each other, is a good time to consolidate here.

Zhang Qi was patrolling along the border, and the place Du Zhongxiao said was his jurisdiction, and he pondered there. The area is high and deep, and the road traffic is inconvenient, making it very difficult to manage. Du Zhongxiao is right, the difficulty is not to occupy it, but to hold it.

Seeing that the two of them didn't speak, Du Zhongxiao smiled and said, "Okay, that's all for today." When the Khitan envoy arrives, we will discuss calmly. I want to talk to the Khitan in the Partial Head Village, and don't let them go deep into the realm. ”

Wang Kai nodded: "Not bad." If the Khitan people don't say it this time, they will inevitably be angry in their hearts, and they still have to take more precautions. ”

At this time, the official came to report that the wine feast had been prepared. Du Zhongxiao ordered to invite Cheng Wenli and Pan Zhen to celebrate together.

In Datong Mansion in Xijing, Yelu Maliu looked at the official document in his hand with a gloomy face. He raised his head and said to Yelu Gao's slave who was standing opposite: "Nearly 1,000 people in Ningbian Prefecture have not been in the Song Realm, and the city has been breached, so forget it?" If so, how should the generals who guard the border deal with themselves? ”

Gao Jianu crossed his hands: "King, this is the meaning of the imperial court." The Fan Department of Poning Bian Prefecture fled into the party item, and the king of Fengzhou Xiao asked for it many times, but the party item insisted on not returning it, and the situation there was tense. The party is the great enemy, and we must no longer make enemies with the south. ”

Yelu Gao's slave is a member of the Han family, and the Han family's status in the Khitan is second only to the royal Yelu and the Xiao family. In his generation, most of them just used Jerod as their surname. In the family world, the Gao family slave is full of confidence and is not afraid of Yelu Ma Liu.

Xiao Punu, the envoy of the Southwest Road, is not a Khitan, but a Xi person, and he is the previous king of Xi Liubu. He was facing each other there, and he was trying to escape from the Tibetan tribe to no avail, and he was confronting the party. At this time, he was bent on stabilizing the relationship with the Song Dynasty, and strongly advocated that this major event be made small.