Seeing Liu Ji coming, Gan Xing and Yu Chengyue hurriedly saluted: "I've seen the Grand Marshal!"

Liu Ji looked at the two of them, nodded, and walked into the account room. Everyone in the account room hurriedly saluted.

After looking at everyone, Liu Ji said in a deep voice: "You heard that there are not many things here. Are there anyone who has no important things at hand?"

Gan Xing hurriedly said: "Go back to Taiwei, we have been doing nothing for many days, counting ants here every day--"

"Don't be poor!" Liu Ji said in a deep voice: "If there is nothing to do, come to my place. General An comes back and tell him."

Several people bowed and said yes.

Liu Ji looked at the scene in the tent and sighed secretly. When he went to rescue Tanglong Town from Suizhou, the staff officer was the busiest crowd, almost day and night. Now he has become the most idle person and has nothing to do every day. Di Qing doesn't need them, so he might as well use it himself and plan the war that will come. If you want to say it, you can't waste everyone.

In Chongzheng Hall, Du Zhongxiao sat down and listened to Zhao Zhen above, saying, "Today, all the ministers were summoned because of the war in the northwest. Yesterday, Di Qing sent a memorial saying that he had arranged troops and horses and was preparing to attack Dangxiang. Jia Taiwei, how Di Qing's army was arranged, tell everyone, and see how it was."

Jia Changchao held the scepter and said, "According to the report of Di Qing of Zhenrong Army, there are 287,500 soldiers and horses under his rule, with sufficient guns and cannons and many horses. The entire army formed a large formation and walked north along the Huluchuan Valley to take the Guanyikou directly. Although there were roads on both sides of the valley road, Dangxiang was insufficient and could not delay the army's advance. After attacking the Guanyikou, he divided his troops into two routes. One route was led by Di Qing himself to attack the Weizhou Military Supervisor Office of Dangxiang. The other route was led by Liu Jishou Military Supervisor Office. Each route was about 150,000 people, and Dangxiang must not be able to resist the enemy. After taking the two Military Supervisor Offices, they joined forces to attack Mingsha. After occupying Mingsha County, the army cleared the surroundings and stationed there first. Then they chose elite personnel to build a railway from Zhenrong Army to Mingsha. Later, with railway support, the army went straight to capture Lingzhou."

Wang Deyong on the side said, "Although this marching is slow, it is the safest. Mingsha is located between the mountains and the Yellow River. When the railway is built there, the army will no longer be blocked. With this place as a support, it is the most appropriate to attack Lingzhou."

When Zhang Fangping heard this, he couldn't help frowning: "This kind of battle will inevitably delay the time. I wonder how long does it take for Taiwei Di to capture Mingsha? How many days will it take to build the railway? When can we attack Lingzhou?"

Jia Changchao said: "Taiwei Di predicts that by the end of the year, he should be able to capture Mingsha County. Then he mobilizes people and builds a railway. By the summer of next year, the railway will be built. By the autumn of next year, the army can directly seize Lingzhou."

Zhang Fangping couldn't help but shake his head: "Taiwei, as soon as the army moves, the materials consumed are not comparable to those of Zhenrong Army. It will take a year to prepare for the attack on Lingzhou, which is a bit too long. Although the court has sufficient supplies, it will be difficult to do so."

Jia Changchao said: "What's the difficulty? Last year, the harvest of the two Huai Rivers was excellent, and I bought a lot of food and grass and transported it along the railway. There were not many missing on the road, which was enough to support it. Nearly 300,000 troops, if you are not so careful, you will be afraid of chaos. Although Hulu River is flat and wide, there are many valleys in the two mountains leading to Dangxiang. If the army is scattered, Dangxiang will send troops from the valley, but you will be afraid of stealing attacks. In the battle of good water river, this dynasty will suffer a lot, so we must take it as a warning. The terrain is complex, and it is better to gather the army than to disperse it."

Zhang Fangping said: "It is not easy to transport grain from Zhenrong Army to them-"

Jia Changchao said: "Da Shen doesn't have to worry about these things. Taiwei Di has made proper arrangements and someone will transport food, grass and supplies in the army."

Zhang Fangping shook his head slightly, too lazy to talk about it. The three departments are responsible for supplying materials to the front line, with nearly 300,000 troops, and what they need is not a small amount. It is easy to transport grain and grass, but how can I buy it just by buying it? This way of fighting requires several channels of supply, and the movement will be huge.

Wen Yanbo said: "I see that when Du Zhongxiaocheng was on Hequ Road, he fought several times, and there were tens of thousands of people, divided into several troops, and each time he quickly fought and decided quickly. This was delayed for one or two years, and he advanced slowly and thoroughly, but it was indeed not easy for the court to support people."

Jia Changchao said: "This attack on Lingzhou is a battle to destroy the country. How could it be compared with the previous war? The court needs to concentrate all its efforts to ensure this battle!"

Ouyang Xiu on the side said: "The nearly 300,000 army took a year to capture Mingsha, and it only occupied Hulu Valley. Is this arrangement too delayed? Let's discuss it again."

Seeing that the Privy Council and the Political Affairs Hall were fighting fiercely, Zhao Zhen said, "Di Qing has been to the Zhenrong Army for several months and is familiar with the geographical and military information there. Such an arrangement is naturally reasonable. However, is the nearly 300,000 troops so cautious, is it too conservative?"

Jia Changchao said: "Your Majesty is a little more conservative, but the victory is safe."

Zhao Zhen looked at Du Zhongxiao on the side and said, "What do Du Zhongcheng think?"

Du Zhongxiao said: "The army is different from before, and it has its own organization. I wonder how many routes the Zhenrong Army's army is divided into, and who are the generals of each route? What are the tasks of these routes? The Zhenrong Army has been to Zhengyikou for more than 200 miles, and it takes only seven or eight days to march thirty miles a day. In this way, the front army arrives at the Chengyikou City, and the rear army is still in the Zhenrong Army. Is it too long?"

Jia Changchao said: "The front-line army, the free Taiwei Di is arranged according to the specific situation, and not fully organized. It is precisely because the march is not easy that Taiwei Di ordered the entire army to go all the way and not give Dang Xiang the opportunity to take advantage of it."

Du Zhongxiao said: "Did the front army wait there when they arrive at the reward and move mouth?"

Jia Changchao said: "They naturally set up camps, prepared siege tools, and waited for the arrival of the army."

Du Zhongxiao was stunned for a while and couldn't think of how to fight such a battle, so he had to say: "This way of fighting is different from when he was in Hequ Road. We all divide the entire army into several routes, what tasks are there for fighting against the enemy, and how each unit marches clearly. There may be accidents in the middle, and the tactics will naturally change in time, or use reserve teams. In this way, the entire army is together, and each part is not clear, so what should we say?"

Wang Deyong said: "The arrangements of the Zhongcheng are naturally excellent, but the imperial guards cannot do it for a while. Once the troops are divided, they are likely to be seized by Dangxiang, and things that are unpredictable will happen."

After hearing this, Du Zhongxiao looked at the surrounding ministers and said helplessly: "The entire army has been reorganized for several years, and most of them have been admitted to military academy to study. Isn't this the case? When a large army fights, it is most taboo to be confused. The organization should be clearly organized and the tasks of each department are clear, otherwise many things will not be explained clearly."

How did Du Zhongxiao evaluate this arrangement? It was completely a 300,000 army gathered at the end of the railway line, relying on a steady stream of materials and strong military power to suppress it. Dangxiang's small country, if it is devoted to its whole country, cannot cut off the railway of the Song army, and there is no way. How could the railway line be cut off? Send a small amount of troops, even if it is harassed, the Song army can repair it as soon as possible. Send a large army to capture the key points, but Dangxiang cannot do it.

Di Qing's arrangement was purely to use the powerful national strength of the Song Dynasty to overwhelm Dangxiang in the small country. Jia Changchao said it right. The biggest advantage of this arrangement is that it is safe, but it uses much more materials. After using so much manpower and material resources, there are almost no weaknesses. How can Dangxiang stop it? However, if a large amount of materials are spent on the Dangxiang war, other aspects of the Song Dynasty will inevitably be affected.

Zhao Zhen intuitively felt that Di Qing's arrangement was too conservative this time. Looking at the wars commanded by Du Zhongxiao on Hequ Road, the memorials were very clear. In addition to the overall strategy, there were one thing to do later. The entire army was divided into several routes, who was the general, and what tasks were very clear. This time Di Qing's arrangement in Zhenrong Army was different. The 300,000 troops gathered together and were not separated at all. The subordinate generals did not know which troops led and what to do, but moved forward together.

Is this possible? Of course, it is possible. The whole country of Dangxiang is not enough for the Song Dynasty. This time, the Song Dynasty gathered the power of several northern routes. How could Dangxiang resist? Not to mention, there are several other ways to restrain Dangxiang's troops and horses and cannot concentrate on Xingling and the two prefectures.

After a while of silence, Zhao Zhen said to Du Zhongxiao: "In the opinion of Zhongcheng, are there any hidden dangers in attacking Dangxiang like this?"

Du Zhongxiao said: "The biggest hidden danger of this arrangement is that the 300,000 troops gathered together will not cause trouble. If everything can be done in an orderly manner, I really can't think of how Dangxiang will deal with it. No matter where his troops attack, they face a powerful main force, and Dangxiang cannot confront him even if the national strength is gathered. Of course, managing 300,000 troops is not easy, nor is it easy."

Jia Changchao said: "The most important thing in fighting against the enemy is to win, be safe and not take risks. I think that although Taiwei Di's arrangements were somewhat conservative, they can ensure that the party and rebels were destroyed, and the court should support it."

Du Zhongxiao sighed secretly, isn’t this nonsense? With the national strength of the Song Dynasty, which can support a strong main force, how can Dangxiang be an opponent? The weak attack on the strong depends on the time and geography and various means other than military strength. Once the technical conditions are met and the time and geography are no longer restricted, small countries will not have the strength to compete with big countries.

But for a big country, we can't always be in this state and always use our strength to defeat people. Now, the Khitan civil war is unable to interfere with the battle between the Song Dynasty and Dangxiang, so we can be so calm. War has its own rules and should follow the rules.

Fundamentally, Di Qing arranged this way because commanding operations under new conditions has exceeded his ability. Di Qing could not do it like Du Zhongxiao's clear forces, their respective tasks, and how to marching and fighting. He was an outstanding general trained by the old imperial guards, but he was a little powerless to learn new knowledge.
Chapter completed!