The commander of Hejian Prefecture, Du Zhongxiao, Zhao Zi and Li Fugui sat together, discussing the recent situation.

Pointing to the map, Du Zhongxiao said: "It seems that the Khitan intends to go south from Xin'an Army and mainly attack Cangzhou. Cangzhou is in the east of Hejian Prefecture, with the Yellow River flowing through, and the Ganning Army on this side of the river. There is no big city along the way and there are few people. Once the war is unfavorable, the Khitan can withdraw at the extreme."

Li Fugui said: "What if the Khitans flicked a shot in Xin'an Army and waited for our army to come back to attack Baozhou?"

Du Zhongxiao smiled and said, "If hundreds of thousands of troops can be easily and freely, the military strength of the Khitans will be a bit terrible. Now their military rations are transported from the rear, and there is no grain storage in the army. It is easy for the army to go, but it is not easy to transport grain and change the route. It is reported that the Khitan now has Yongqing County in the north as the foundation, and the grain and grass are transported there first, and then the signing army transports south."

Zhao Zi said: "The Khitan's place where food and grass were stored was changed to Yongqing, and the direction of the attack should not change. Attacking Cangzhou actually had no effect on the court. It was not far from the sea, with a large area and sparse population, and if the city was broken, it would not affect other places. It was convenient for soldiers to mobilize them, so they could easily take back the city. In my opinion, the Khitans attacked there, but they didn't want to fight with this dynasty."

Du Zhongxiao said: "It may not be so. If we don't save it, the Khitans will not go south even if they break through Cangzhou. When the spring comes, their army will withdraw, and this battle will be forgotten. If we go to save it, the Khitans will not mind fighting. They think that the Khitans are good at fighting in the field and are not good at siegeing the city. If they do not rely on the city, the troops of this dynasty will not be their opponent."

Zhao Zi looked at the map and thought for a while and said, "What Taiwei means is whether to go and save it?"

Du Zhongxiao said: "Save, of course we have to save them! How can we not defeat the Khitan army head-on and let them truly know themselves? When Dou Shunqing and other three armies are transferred, I want to use 150,000 troops to save Cangzhou. However, the timing of this battle is very important. If we start the war with all our might at the beginning, we are afraid that the Khitans will be scared back, and the casualties will be severe. We should keep in touch first, but we don't fight. The Khitans arrived near Cangzhou, and the distance of food and supplies increased by hundreds of miles. As time goes by, I am afraid that we can't bear it. We can accumulate supplies in Hejian Prefecture first and then start a war."

Zhao Zi laughed and said, "Taiwei, you have thought too much before the war has begun. Now it is a critical moment when hundreds of thousands of Khitan troops are heading south. They should be defeated as soon as possible and cross the border. The main thing is to do. No matter how much preparations are made, it will be unsightly if something happens."

Li Fugui said: "Yes, there are no certain rules for the war, so we should not think too much. We should gather a large army and fight to the death with the Khitan!"

Du Zhongxiao shook his head: "If the Khitan attacks other places, naturally, we can't think too much. How can the Khitan attack Cangzhou, and the corners of the corners, not think too much? Wouldn't that be cheaper? In this battle, Cangzhou was the most pressured, and it could not be broken by the Khitan. In the past two days, Liu Ji sent four or five thousand soldiers to bring more artillery to help defend the city. In such a city, four or five thousand soldiers were already a lot."

Zhao Zi nodded: "Yes, if you only defend the city, four or five thousand people will be enough. But there must be always a reinforcement. Also, you can't be like Qu Yang, the magistrate sneaked out of the city and the defense line collapsed."

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's different now than before. As long as the generals decide on the defense of the city during war, the magistrate will no longer lead the troops. The original troops in the city are still under the jurisdiction of the magistrate. If the generals are not recruited, they will not go to the city walls. It is enough for the magistrate to manage the food, grass and supplies."

Zhao Zi looked at the map and said, "The Ganning army is on the bank of the Yellow River, and it cannot be captured there. It is extremely dangerous for the Khitan army to go to Cangzhou. The Ganning army sent troops eastward, which is very easy to cut off the Khitan's return. Moreover, the Khitan's food and grass transportation is not safe."

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "So, a large army must be stationed in Hejian Prefecture, and there are not too many garrisons in the Ganning Army. This year, Hejian Prefecture trained about 80,000 troops, and could all be organized into two armies and sent to the Ganning Army. Let them fight with the Khitan for a few days first and see how powerful they are. Training the army and selecting talents in the war is much better than military academy."

Zhao Zi nodded: "Who is the right person?"

Du Zhongxiao said: "It is better to take the officials of Hebei Road and the talents from the Hejian Prefecture Military Academy. Ma Huaide, the governor of Xiongzhou, and Li Weixian, the governor of Enzhou, both led the troops for many years. This year, they actively studied the textbooks of the Hejian Prefecture Military Academy, so they can lead the troops. If they do well, they will naturally be promoted in the future. If they don't do well, they will not lead the troops in the future. In this battle of the Ganning Army, let's see how they are."

Zhao Zi nodded and said yes. Ma Huaide was a long-time general in the army. When he was fighting with Dangxiang, he was an official in the northwest and had many wars. Li Weixian was the son of the important minister Li Zhaoliang, his grandfather Li Jilong, and his great-grandfather Li Chuyun, and his real son of the general. Using them as generals and leading the troops to train quickly in Hejian Prefecture can be regarded as an emphasis on the old imperial guards on Hebei Road. Of course, whether they can live up to expectations depends on themselves.

The Khitan's long-term attack on the Great Wall made Du Zhongxiao confident in the current Song army and no longer looked trembling. It is estimated that the current Khitan army could not fight with the Song army at all. Their advantage was mainly in the power of the cavalry. Once it was unfavorable, retreat quickly and fight again at the right time. For the Song army, such a tactic was very troublesome and it was difficult to catch up with them.

This time the Khitan attacked Cangzhou was a very good opportunity. After the army went deeper, the Song Dynasty gathered enough troops to block the Khitan retreat, making Cangzhou the decisive battle between the two sides. A large area of ​​solid walls and cleared the fields. Although the court was under great pressure, the pressure on the Khitan was even greater. They had to transport food and grass from the rear, which was equivalent to the kite line. If this line was there, the army would not be able to escape.

Cangzhou was vast and sparsely populated. There were less than 40,000 households in the five counties, and the area was vast. All the people were withdrawn into prefectures and counties, and there was no surplus grain in the wild, so the Khitan was tied there. The Song Dynasty only needed less than 20,000 soldiers to hold down hundreds of thousands of Khitan troops.

Zhao Zi was right, he thought too much. But thinking too much is based on the strength of both sides. Now, in terms of national strength, the Song Dynasty was crushing the Khitan. Compared with the army, the Song Dynasty had an absolute advantage. The disadvantage is that if the Song Dynasty attacked and the Khitan border was too large, and as the transportation line became longer and longer, it would be very difficult to support the national strength.

The Khitan took the initiative to attack and eliminate all its main forces in the Song realm. Even if there is a mistake, it is worth it to spend more money. As Du Zhongxiao arrived at Hebei Road, the cost of the war rose sharply, and the officials of the Political Affairs Hall in the capital were extremely angry. But there was no way, victory in the war was everything, and they were just complaining.

Standing up, Du Zhongxiao said, "The Khitan army has passed the border, and it is time for both sides to decide their lives and death. In the past few days, I will improve the commander of Hejian Prefecture and all the officials are all equipped. Li Fugui, you must ensure that the materials are safe and the army is dispatched smoothly. If you have defeated this, you have made great contributions! If you make a mistake, don't blame me for not remembering your old love!"

Li Fugui stood up and crossed his hands and said, "Don't worry, the senior officer will do his best! The train leads to Hejian Mansion, and it will definitely ensure that there will be no shortage of supplies here! The army will be dispatched along the railway, and it will definitely be smooth!"

Du Zhongxiao nodded and said, "In addition, you should also pay attention to the material dispatch from the railway line. Now there are hundreds of thousands of pack animals on the front line of Hebei Road, just for the transportation of smoothly. These pack animals should not only be used well, but also ensure food and grass. Don't have pack animals, but starve to death here!"

Li Fugui said: "The officials obey the orders! There is not enough food and grass on Hebei Road, so I have ordered it to be transferred from Hequ Road. In addition, all the beans and beans on Shaanxi Road have been transported. In addition, the recent stable walls and clear fields, the food and grass collected from Hebei Road should be able to ensure sufficient food and grass!"

Du Zhongxiao said to Zhao Zi again: "The war arrangement is roughly as I said just now. Speaking of which, there is enough time and not rush. You must make detailed plans for all actions. Every army, every division, and all the regiments below you must have a war plan. The combat plan of the division can be done by the army and the army below, but you must report to you."

Zhao Zi crossed his hands and said yes.

Du Zhongxiao said: "The war between the two armies does not rely on a clever inspiration or cleverness. Instead, it depends on strict and orderly organization, precise planning of the commander and Zhang Chi. Everyone knows what to do and when to do it, and cannot be like a headless fly. When the boss has a military order, he can execute it immediately. Without a military order, he knows what he should do. The more refined we do, the deeper the military will be in his heart."
Chapter completed!