Riding on the horse and looking at the surrounding scenery. The fields that had harvested crops seemed empty, the plants and trees were already withered, and occasionally a hare jumped up on the side of the road and ran deep into the grass. Meng Xuejiao took a deep breath. This was originally a harvest autumn, but the war came.

The two platoons behind Meng Xuezhao followed and did not speak. As the commander of the battalion, Meng Xuezhao had to bring his entourage when he returned to his hometown.

According to the arrangement of the Privy Council, Zhang Ji's troops guarded the north of the Yishui River in the south and returned to Liuji River. Meng Xuejiao's army was stationed on the bank of the Yishui River in the south and was just here. Since entering the military academy, Meng Xuejiao has always been the one who has learned the best and has been promoted to the commander of the former Imperial Army training in Hebei.

This is the case for schools. With the same textbooks and the same requirements, there are always some people who can learn faster. Later schools require average levels, and generally study at the same time and take exams at the same time. In fact, if skipping grades is allowed, a large number of people can shorten the time and their grades will not drop significantly. The Hejian Prefecture Military Academy generally has a three-year academic schedule, but more than 300 people have completed their studies in the first year of this year.

Looking at the distance from Xiongzhou City, a few fast horses suddenly ran into front. Looking at it, it was Meng Xuejiao, and the knight on the horse bowed: "Where is the general who came? The governor of the prefect, from today on, the walls and clear fields, and officials and civilians are not allowed to walk around!"

Meng Xuejue crossed his hands: "Meng Dang, the troops stationed in Liujiabao, somehow he strengthened the walls and cleared the fields?"

The knight knew Meng Xuejiao, and after hearing this, he relaxed and said, "The Khitan in the north has begun to assassinate the people as soldiers. Many people under Zhuozhou's rule fled south, and the Khitan took people everywhere. The magistrate ordered that all the people within ten miles south of the Mahe should be moved into Xiongzhou City. Any Khitan people who cross the river must be properly sheltered. If the Khitan army dares to cross the river, they will be killed!"

Meng Xuejiao nodded and understood what happened. It seems that autumn has arrived, and the Khitan army is about to go south and begins to assassinate the people under his rule. I remembered that he had worked hard to build the city last year, so he fled to the Juma River. Now it is not uncommon for people to flee south.

The Song Dynasty was already tearing apart, and the Song Dynasty no longer had any taboos. As long as the people escaped the Juma River, they would take them all in. The nearby deserted fields were enough to be resettled. The Khitans did not dare to cross the Juma River, so they sent troops across the river to strictly investigate the fleeing people.

The knights were ordered to go out of the city to pass the order, and had a few conversations with Meng Xuejue, and then urged the horse to go.

Meng Xuejue said: "The Khitan assassinated the people of Zhuozhou as soldiers, and it seems that they are about to go south. Let's go back to the military camp quickly to wait for military orders."

After saying that, he urged the horse and led two platoons toward the ferry not far away.

In Xiongzhou City, Ma Huaide and Zhang Ke sat opposite each other and discussed the situation on the front line recently.

Ma Huaide said: "The Khitans on the other side began to assassinate the people as soldiers, and they were particularly powerful within 20 or 30 miles of the Ma River. Almost all young and strong people were not spared. It seems that last year, the people fled south, and the Khitans crossed the river and lost another 10,000 soldiers, which was extremely angry."

Zhang Ji said: "Yes, the turmoil has become increasingly tense in recent days. Almost every day, Khitan people have tried to cross the river, but most of them have been captured by the Khitans. More than a hundred people have escaped the river and have been resettled."

Ma Huaide said: "If you don't talk about these things, we don't care about the Khitan affairs now. In the past, most of the Khitans' orders were to gather troops in the summer, and then recruit the people of prefectures and counties. In the end, they would order troops in Zhuozhou. The number of soldiers in Zhuozhou means that the Khitans are coming soon."

Zhang Ji said: "I'm afraid they won't come! Now, 250,000 troops have gathered along the Hebei Road and built dozens of cities. We have been waiting for the Khitans to come! In the past month, many artillery have been transported, and artillery has been installed along the border cities to see how they attack the city!"

Ma Huaide sighed: "I have been resigning to local officials since the party's peace talks. It has been more than ten years since I have used cannons in the army, but I have never seen them. Last year, I was fighting in Xiongzhou, but I was guarding the city. I have been transporting cannons this year, so I have never been sure how to place Xiongzhou City."

Zhang Ke said: "It's okay, tomorrow I will call several generals in the army and let them stay with the soldiers guarding the city. In fact, it's not that difficult. You were the stone cannons of the past, but it's much easier to use."

Ma Huaide nodded, and the two discussed artillery together. Ma Huaide was born in the army. When he was on Shaanxi Road, he made many military achievements and promoted when fighting with Dangxiang, and today he is today. The current army is completely different from the army in Ma Huaide's memory. When talking about military combat, he asked Zhang Xiao for advice. Zhang Xiao never tire of it and explained it one by one.

After talking for a while, the two stopped and had a tea.

Ma Huaide said: "Taiwei, the Khitans were difficult to resist in the past, but they used cavalry and came and went without a trace. Now the army uses guns and cannons, and the court does not lack horses. It should not be like this again, right? In the past, when the Khitans went south, they often went hundreds of miles deep, but they could not get their whereabouts."

Zhang Ke smiled and said, "Of course it's different from before. The Khitans' every move was in the eyes of the court, and they were prepared early. Not to mention going hundreds of miles deep, as long as they cross the border ten miles, there will inevitably be an army to fight."

Ma Huaide sighed: "Xiongzhou is on the border. The Khitans will come to attack the city. I am really worried these days."

Zhang Ke said: "My soldiers built twelve new cities in Xiongzhou, and there are still 30,000 troops stationed around Xiongzhou. It is not easy for the Khitans to attack Xiongzhou City. Those newly built cities are not so easy to break."

Ma Huaide said: "I heard that the Khitans also have artillery, so don't underestimate it. I heard that artillery attacks the city and is extremely difficult to defend."

Zhang Ke said: "Magistrate, don't be suspicious, just relax. My 50,000 army is stationed in Xiongzhou. Even if the Khitan comes with troops from all over the country, it will not threaten Xiongzhou in a short time. The artillery attack is sharp, but if there are artillery guarding the city, it will be completely different. Compared with the current dynasty, the Khitan artillery is close to each other and lacks power. It is difficult to break through the city."

Ma Huaide nodded and didn't say anything for a moment. The army he remembered was still the way he fought against Dangxiang when he was fighting with swords and guns. Now he knew nothing about how to fight in the army, and he was inevitably worried.

The Khitan cavalry was more than 300,000, which was enough to destroy the country in the era of cold weapons and could not be underestimated. Of course, the Song Dynasty now has no shortage of military and horses, and there are many cavalry on the front line, so it is not afraid of Khitan cavalry. For example, in Zhang Ji's army, there were more than 10,000 cavalry, which was enough to protect the safety of Xiongzhou and a state of Xiongzhou. Moreover, Xiongzhou has a railway and can get support from the rest of the army at any time.

Zhang Ji fought all the way to the Western Regions, and his spirit was not comparable to before. The 50,000 army belonged to the Song Dynasty, and he had long been determined to compete with the Khitan. Seriously, if it were just defense, Zhang Ji was enough to defend Xiongzhou. It was just that the purpose of the Song Dynasty was to use this war to wipe out the main force of the Khitan in Youzhou, which was even more complicated.
Chapter completed!