"Yelu Hongji is coming?" After listening to the report of the pro-soldiers, Du Zhongxiao was silent for a while.

Zhao Zhen on the side looked at the sun and said, "The two armies are fighting, and one side is willing to surrender, how can it not be justified?" It's not early, Taiwei, the Khitan is willing to surrender, so let them surrender. Collect the troops and come back early, and celebrate tonight! ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Your Majesty misunderstood, it's not that you don't accept it, the minister is thinking about how to avoid accidents." Now that the army has been encircled, the Khitan army is completely shrouded in artillery fire, and even Yelu Hongji is afraid that he will not be able to command. Yelu Hongji is willing to surrender, what his generals think, it is difficult to say. Don't stop the artillery on our side, and the Khitans over there pounce on it, it's not beautiful. ”

Han Qi said: "What Taiwei Du said is true. Now that the Khitan array is in chaos, Yelu Hongji is also in command. Even if you accept it, you have to think carefully and don't make a mess. Everything has gone well so far in the battle, and there should be no accidents at the end. ”

After thinking for a while, Du Zhongxiao said to his soldiers: "Go and call Zhao Zi quickly." Moreover, all the armies that were fighting in front of the battle were commanded, and all of them were called to the city. If everyone deliberates together, there will be no accidents. ”

The soldiers went, and Du Zhongxiao held the city wall and looked out of the city. After Xi Maliu, Gu Yin, and Dieli surrendered, the Song army had completed the encirclement of the remaining Khitan army on all sides. Now the artillery is in place, firing shells without stopping. In the midst of the artillery fire, the Khitan army was completely disorganized. At this time, it was actually much easier for the Khitan not to surrender, and it would take some shells to kill them all. They have descended, and there are many troubles.

The captives who surrendered had to be fed, the wounded had to be treated, they had to be guarded, and many things were done. The Khitan army of 400,000 people saw the absolute advantage of the Song army in this battle, but in fact, it was great if 100,000 people died on the battlefield in the end. 300,000 captives, not easy to dispose of.

Not long after, Zhao Zi and a group of troops all commanded envoys to arrive and salute Zhao Zhen, Du Zhongxiao and others.

Du Zhongxiao said: "The privy envoy of the Khitan North Court, Yelu Xiantong, sent a letter to the Khitan people, and the Khitan people are willing to surrender." However, they still have more than 100,000 people, and the army that the Khitan monarchs and ministers can directly command is only afraid of many. Don't we stop the artillery on our side and mess up there. I have called you here to discuss what to do. ”

Zhao Zi said: "This matter is most afraid of disorder, and it is best for the Taiwei to settle it and act in unison." ”

Jia Kui said: "The last general thinks that he can only drive all the way and let the Khitans come out." The rest of the divisions continued to fire. When all the Khitans came out and surrendered, the whole army stopped artillery and sent people to search. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "I think so too." If you have no objections, Dou Shunqing and Liu Jianji will stop shelling and let the Khitans come out of them. The rest of the armies, continuing to open fire until the order. ”

Zhao Zi said: "That's the best." However, the Khitan Chinese army originally had nearly 200,000 people, and even now there are still more than 100,000 left. All came out of Dou and Liu, isn't it too crowded? ”

Du Zhongxiao thought for a while and said, "This matter is not for us to consider. Go back and tell Yelu Xiantong and let him Yelu Hongji, that's how we decided. The Dou and Liu armies stopped their artillery and let the Khitans come out of there. After the Khitans came out, Zhang Yu's subordinates monitored them to prevent them from making trouble. ”

At this time, the southern front was full of troops, and it was impossible for the Khitans to escape, so there was no need for Zhang Yu to monitor the periphery. They were cavalry and were best suited to spy on surrendering troops. One or two hundred thousand Khitans surrendered, and they could not be allowed to make any more trouble.

After discussing the details, the congregation will leave. The armies of Dou Shunqing and Liu Jianji stopped the shelling and informed Yelu Xiantong that he could start preparations.

Zhao Zi said: "Taiwei, the Khitans have all surrendered, and this battle should also end." However, with hundreds of thousands of Khitan troops, how to manage these captives is a troublesome matter. We now have enough military rations, hundreds of thousands more, and we should bring in grain as soon as possible. ”

Du Zhongxiao sighed: "Hundreds of thousands of prisoners, as well as millions of people in Youzhou, need more food." There is a lot of grain in the Central Plains, and it can't be supplied. There is no need to worry too much about this matter, these prisoners will first repair the railway in Youzhou, and then deal with it later. ”

Han Qi said: "The grain and grass collected by Zhongshu have no problem supplying the army for half a year. But now there are more than a million more people, and they are really powerless. These captives built roads honestly, and they were guaranteed not to starve to death. If you don't do things, it's hard to say. ”

Song Zhen on the side said: "Yes, it is not easy to supply hundreds of thousands of troops, and it is difficult to exceed one million people." The grain and grass of Lianghuai have already been collected, and now there is no way, they are all from Liangzhejiang. No matter how much it is enough, there is no way. You can't collect grain from Liangguang, and there is no way to transport it to the Central Plains. There is still grain in Sichuan and Shu, but it is the same, and it is not easy to transport it. ”

Of course Du Zhongxiao knows. It is wrong to say that the whole country does not have food to supply so many people, but there is not much that can be transported. Lianghuai is the most convenient to transport, followed by Liangzhejiang, and there are much fewer other places. There is not much surplus grain on Jingdong Road and Jingxi Road, even less on Shaanxi Road, and it is difficult to transport it out in Sichuan and Shu because of the difficult roads. Before this autumn, food will be very tight in Youzhou.

But as long as we get through this year, everything will be fine. After recovering the Yanyun region, the Song army entered the north at the foot of Yanshan Mountain, and soon was able to climb the mountain to attack the Khitan hinterland. With the experience of the Battle of Youzhou, a large number of troops have grown, and the battle behind will be easier.

After thinking about it, Du Zhongxiao said to Zhao Zi: "By the way, how is the battle situation in the area behind the mountain?" Wang Kai and He Bin's 100,000 army should have no opponents. ”

Zhao Zi said: "They have surrounded Datong Mansion and are storming. Datong Mansion is a big city, with a lot of troops, and it is a stalemate for a while. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Yelu Hongji has surrendered, you can ask him to write letters to all parts of the Khitan to see how many places have surrendered." Datong Mansion is already a must-take, and the guards should not insist. Other places in the Khitan are difficult to say. ”

Zhao Zi said: "As long as you can take Zhongjing Road, it is enough, and the rest of the places are insignificant, it is nothing more than time." ”

Du Zhongxiao shook his head and said meaningfully: "You can't say that. I heard that after the Khitan sent troops, the Jurchens in the northeast made a riot, and the noise was really not small. Tokyo Province is vast, fertile for thousands of miles, and has a large population, and the Khitan is dead, so I am afraid that the Jurchens will take advantage of the situation. ”

Zhao Zi smiled and said: "Taiwei, the Jurchen is just a wild man in the mountains, what can happen to him?" After waiting for two years, Youzhou will be stable, and a general will be sent to raise troops to destroy them. No matter how big the Tokyo Province is, it will be enough to pacify it with 50,000 soldiers. ”

Du Zhongxiao smiled and said, "Let's discuss this matter again." The most important thing now is to pacify the Khitan and pacify the place. ”

Before the rise of the Jurchens, they were not taken seriously. In fact, whether it is the Song Dynasty or the Khitan, there is no reason to pay attention to it. Du Zhongxiao doesn't know the history of this area in history, and he will feel that he doesn't need to pay attention to it. What is there to pay attention to a small minority in the deep mountains? But it was this minority that exterminated the Khitan in history, and soon attacked the Song Dynasty and invaded Kaifeng, and the Northern Song Dynasty became extinct. It is true that the Jurchens developed rapidly after defeating the main Khitan force and annexing a large number of ethnic groups under the rule of the Khitan. But what they can do to the Khitan, why do they think they can't do it to the Song Dynasty? If you don't occupy it sooner, something will happen sooner or later.

Of these northern peoples, the Khitan is in the middle. To the east is the Jurchens, and after they developed, they destroyed the Khitan. To the west were the Tatars, who, after their development, exterminated the Jurchens. They were able to grow quickly, and the foundation left by the Khitan was very important. Without the Khitan in the middle, it would not have been possible to develop just by their corners. One east and one west, after they were developed, they quickly entered the central area of the Khitan and developed and expanded.

After the development of northern China from the Khitan, the center of gravity shifted eastward. Under the rule of the Khitan, there was nomadism and farming, leaving a very important foundation for hegemony and nourishing the surrounding ethnic groups. After the destruction of the Khitan, the Song Dynasty had to occupy Zhongjing Road as soon as possible and firmly control it. Otherwise, the vacuum left after the fall of the Khitan will soon have other ethnic groups develop.

For Du Zhongxiao, this time the Khitan went south, and the exploitation of Youzhou was too ruthless. If this is not restored, the foundation of the Song army is unstable, and there is no support for the northward advance. And restoring Youyan is not something that can be done in a short period of time. can only rely on strong national strength to occupy the key points in the north and south of Yanshan first. When Youzhou is a little better, he will immediately go north.

This is a real battle of national fortunes. If the railway successfully controlled the Khitan Zhongjing Province, the surrounding ethnic groups, whether they were the Jurchens in the east or the Tatars in the west, would have lost the foundation for their rise.