Du Zhongxiao was in the room discussing the Khitan situation in the north with several staff officers, including topographic surveying. It used to be too sketchy, but now that the borders are gathered, this thing is not easy to do. The more detailed these are, the more beneficial they will be to the subsequent command of the war.

A soldier came and said with a forked hand: "Captain, take the official document from the front, the Khitan army is moving east!" ”

Du Zhongxiao took the official document, opened it and read it, and handed it to the soldiers beside him: "Go and give it to Captain Fu and Captain Zhao, and let them come over." ”

Not long after, Fu Bi and Zhao Zi came in. Du Zhongxiao said: "The Khitan army has gone east. As we expected, they abandoned Baozhou and may attack Xiongzhou. Order Zhang Qi and Liu Ji, the two armies are ready! ”

Fu Bi said: "How is Xiongzhou worse than Baozhou? The same army of 50,000, the same strong city, the same strong wall and clear field, and the same 50,000 army of Hejian Mansion behind. When the Khitans got there, they were afraid that there was still no way. ”

When Du Zhongxiao heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned for a while. After thinking about it, he said: "Order Liu Ji, send scouts, and carefully explore the east of Hejian Mansion." If you find that the Khitans are moving south from the Xin'an army, report back to Shuai Si immediately! ”

Zhao Zi said and said, "Taiwei thinks that the Khitans will attack Xin'anzhou? ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Xin'an Prefecture is guarded by 3,000 soldiers and horses, and the city is strong, and it is difficult for the Khitans to capture it without accidents." However, if they did not storm the city, they would have carried military rations on the road and went all the way south, and the defenders would have no choice. Three thousand soldiers and horses were enough to defend the city, but the attack was insufficient. ”

Fu Bi said: "To the east of Hejian Mansion are Cangzhou and Qianning Army, which are vast and sparsely populated. Coupled with the clear wilderness, there are no people for hundreds of miles. If the Khitan attacked there, they would not break the city, and could only transport grain from the rear. Where did they get so many people to carry grain? ”

Du Zhongxiao sighed: "We can't use our own practices to think about what the Khitans will do. You know, when did the Khitans go out to fight in the past, when did they transport grain by themselves? It's all because of the food of the enemy. As long as the soldiers bring more than ten days of rations, go all the way, and go to a place where there is no strong wall and clear the wilderness. In the future, grain and grass were naturally snatched from the people. ”

Fu Bi shook his head: "If that's the case, once they are defeated, they won't even have a way out." ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Think about it, when did the Khitans think about retreating?" 30,000 cavalry attacked Quyang, and was finally surrounded, and if there was no more, there would be no more, and the Khitan could not even save it. Now the same is naturally true. Just send troops, no matter how you collect them. For the Khitan army, looking at them, you must know that they have the combat power of a regular army, but the tactics are similar to those of Youkou, and they cannot be measured by common sense. ”

Zhao Zi pondered for a while and said, "According to what Taiwei said, it is really possible for the Khitan to attack Cangzhou." The Yongjing Army south of the Yellow River did not have a strong wall to clear the wilderness, and when it attacked there, it was natural to scavenge grain and grass from the people. Four hundred miles from the border, the soldiers carried ten days' rations, and it was not difficult to attack. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "We should think that it's not too late to arrange it now." Ordered Liu Ji to immediately prepare for interception. Also, the three states of the Yongjing Army, Dezhou, and Enzhou are strong and clear. By the way, there are too few forbidden troops on Jingdong Road, so let the Privy Council send an army. Riding the train, it is not far from Kaifeng Mansion to Jingdong Road. ”

Zhao Zi promised. In this era, due to the constant changes in the estuary of the Yellow River, the places near the sea were large swamps, and the three prefectures were all places with few people. The walls are clear, and it is nothing more than spending some more money. Moreover, there are many grain stores on Jingdong Road, which can be delivered there nearby.

Looking at the map, Du Zhongxiao said: "Cangzhou is a vast and sparsely populated place, and it is best for the Khitan to attack there. The million-strong armies of the two countries will fight there! Order Dou Shunqing, Liu Jianji, and Jia Kui to rectify the soldiers and horses in the headquarters, and if there is a military order, transfer them immediately! ”

Zhao Zi forked his hand and agreed, and hurriedly ordered someone to draft an order and prepare to issue it.

As soon as the Khitan army was dispatched, Du Zhongxiao's heart was roughly at the bottom. Fighting in the territory of the Song Dynasty is better than fighting in the territory of the Khitan. To the east is the sea, and to the west is a large army, as long as the Khitan retreat is blocked, these hundreds of thousands of troops will have nowhere to go.

At Baozhou Station, Jia Kui looked at the crowded and busy crowd and said to Liu Jianji beside him: "The Khitan army has gone south, and only a small part of the artillery in our army has been transported, which is really sad." There is no artillery, only fear of a disadvantageous battle. ”

Liu Jianji said: "We are just transferring to Mozhou and Hejian Mansion, and we will not fight immediately." Your army has a lot of pack horses, leave more people here in Baozhou, and as soon as the artillery arrives, it can be sent to the front line immediately. Although the Khitan army has arrived at the Xin'an army, the two armies will have to wait a few days to fight, and they will not be able to make a mistake. ”

Jia Kui nodded and sighed. He was the army that had been trained for the longest time, but the artillery was not there, but the combat effectiveness had dropped a lot, and if the war broke out quickly, he was afraid that he would not be able to defeat the main force. Everyone knows that the scale of this battle is unprecedented, and you can only regret it if you miss it.

Just then, a whistle was heard in the distance, and a train was coming in. Not long after, Dou Shunqing hurried over and greeted Jia Kui and Liu Jianji.

Looking at the chaotic crowd, Dou Shunqing said: "Shuai Si is in a hurry and wants us to rush to Hejian Mansion as quickly as possible." But now the railway line is a mess, and it takes a few days to walk. ”

Liu Jianji said: "An army of more than 100,000 people, where is it so easy. Without four or five days, you can't catch up. Now the trains are all under the personal command of Captain Li, and others can't speak, so let's wait. ”

Dou Shunqing said: "Where is Taiwei Li?" Urge him. ”

Liu Jianji shook his head: "Don't bother, we met Taiwei Li just now, it's useless." Not only are more than 100,000 troops coming, but all the food, grass, and ammunition needed by the army cannot be lacking. Taiwei Li is already anxious, there is nothing important, don't bother him. ”

As the logistics commander of the Hebei Road Forbidden Army, Li Fugui had to direct the operation of military and civilian materials on the entire Hebei Road, and he was very busy. Not only does he have to complete the transfer of troops, but he also has a busier task. For example, the pack animals used in warfare were collected from all over the country when the Khitan marched into Youzhou, and now they are being transported to Hebei Road. The army was 300,000, and the pack animals brought in were nearly 500,000, which was much more pressure than the army.

The current Song Dynasty is more and more concerned about this battle and the fate of the Khitan, and has invested more and more energy. The material and financial resources of the whole country are concentrated on Hebei Road, not to mention the army. The railway line connecting Baozhou and Kaifeng Province is busy every day, and the trains are roaring every day.

After destroying the party and restoring the Western Regions, the mobilization capacity of the Song Dynasty was not known. It was not until the last month or two that the country's material resources began to be mobilized, and the national strength began to be slowly revealed. In the past, the Song Dynasty lacked horses, but now it has everything. Not only horses, but also 80,000 camels were brought from the Western Regions and the River, and the number frightened the Privy Council.

After a few words of gossip, Liu Jianji said: "Now it seems that our three armies are going to Hejian Mansion, and it must take three or five days. Moreover, Captain Li arranged the trains for personnel, horses, and artillery separately, and could not go army by army. Don't worry, wait patiently for a few days. Tonight I will set up a wine feast at the official office, and I will invite you two to drink it. ”

Jia Kui shook his head: "In three or five days, the Khitan has already entered the country." Alas, it's so heart-wrenching to think about! ”

Liu Jianji said: "What about entry? With two legs, they can enter a hundred and ten miles at most. When we arrived at Riverhouse, we had enough time to stop them. Now there is no shortage of materials on Hebei Road, and there are enough pack animals, are you afraid that you won't be able to catch up with them? ”

Dou Shunqing nodded: "The truth is like this, but more than 100,000 troops are the most prone to accidents at this time." I hope that Mrs. Li will make proper arrangements, don't go on a business trip, and let us get to Hejian Mansion safely. ”

Liu Jianji said: "In the past two days, I have been to see Mrs. Li several times. The people and things transported on the railway, we look messy, in fact, they all have their own reasons. No matter how lucky we are, as long as we take care of our own army and don't mess up. In addition, there have been a lot of pack animals recently brought in from the northwest, and Taiwei Li was originally going to be divided into various armies, but now he has to go to Hejian Mansion to divide them again. These things should be planned in advance. ”