In Xiongzhou, Du Zhongxiao, Fu Bi, Zhao Zi and others surrounded the map and discussed the recent war. After Liu Ji occupied Youzhou, the armies of Dou Shunqing and Liu Jianji immediately moved south, and together with the armies of Jia Kui and Jingtai, blocked the Khitan retreat route to the north.

Du Zhongxiao said: "Now in the Wuqing area, in addition to the 15,000 people in the city, there are 200,000 troops in the north and 200,000 troops in the south. A total of 400,000 people surrounded the Khitan army. Although it can't be said that the water is incomprehensible, it is not easy for the Khitan to run. ”

Fu Bi said: "The army is encircled, is it going to attack?" Wipe out the Khitan army there as soon as possible and end the war. ”

Du Zhongxiao shook his head: "No hurry." The Khitan had no military rations, and if we surrounded it one more day, their strength would be reduced by one point. After half a month, maybe they don't have to fight, they are already so hungry that they can't walk. ”

Zhao Zi said: "Wuqing is between the two streams of the Sanggan River, and after a few days, the river is frozen, and the Khitan is difficult to fly." ”

Fu Bi smiled and shook his head: "Where will you wait so long?" There is not much grain and grass in the Khitan, and it won't take many days, so it's time to work hard. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded, paced a few steps in the room, and said to Zhao Zi: "Tell Li Fugui, now that the army is in Wuqing, the transportation of materials is much stronger than a few days ago." Let him do his best to keep the garrison there well stocked. These battles were fought very well, and more meat was brought over so that the officers and men could eat better. Now in winter, even if you are transporting meat from the meanders of the river, you are not afraid of breaking down on the road. ”

Zhao Zi nodded yes. The current grain and grass materials are all transported from outside, and there is no storage on Hebei Road. Fortunately, there is a railway, and it is not difficult to transport it thousands of miles away. Meat and milk from the grasslands, as well as grain from Jianghuai, are constantly being transported.

Du Zhongxiao thought for a while, and then said to Zhao Zi: "You write our attack plan in detail, and send it to the capital today." The final battle must be reported to the Holy Lord, and it cannot be left to us alone. This battle is a battle of national fortunes, and everything must be done well. ”

After speaking, he said to Fu Bi: "Liu Ji sent some Khitan people captured by Youzhou, let's go and meet for a while." In a day or two, sending them to the capital can be regarded as boasting of their military exploits. Capturing so many Khitan ministers at one time is still something that has never happened. ”

The two went out of the room, went to the official hall next to it, and ordered someone to bring the Khitan captives.

Yeluren and others entered the official hall first, and saw Du Zhongxiao and Fu Bi sitting on it, and hurriedly saluted.

Du Zhongxiao is a privy envoy, the official position is there, and the official uniform is different, so Yelu Renxian and others naturally recognize it. Fu Bi once sent an envoy to the Khitan, and many of these ministers he knew. It's just that many years later, the two sides met on such an occasion, which is embarrassing.

Du Zhongxiao said: "It's really hard to stay far away. Please forgive me for the poor hospitality on the road. ”

Yelu Ren said helplessly: "The general of the defeated army, leaving a life, is the benevolence of the captain." As for the rest, how can you hope for it. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Stay and you, stay in Xiongzhou for a few days." Wait for me to play the court, and then I will do what I want. Now that our army has besieged Yelu Hongji outside Wuqing City, it is estimated that it will not be long before it can be encircled and annihilated. After this battle, the world will be unified, and maybe there will be a time when you will be used. ”

Yeluren looked at the others first, his face was gloomy, and he sighed in his heart. After conquering Youzhou, everyone can see that the overall situation of this battle has been decided. The main forces of the Khitan were all surrounded in Wuqing. The continuous retreat route was blocked, and there were no reinforcements from the country.

The nomadic regime of the Khitan sent troops with all the strength of the country, and the army was of course very brave. However, due to the limited population of the grassland, once an army of this size is annihilated, it will be a catastrophe. Not to mention the recruitment of an army, the youth of the tribe will not be able to make up for it in a short time.

If Yeluhongji is eliminated, the grassland can be said to be mourning, and it is difficult to be spared. The next few years will be very difficult due to the lack of young people. Not to mention a threat to the Song Dynasty, even basic production could not be maintained.

This is where the grassland is very different from the Central Plains. Due to the poor population, it is difficult for the grasslands to make up for the loss of a large number of people in a short period of time. Unlike the Central Plains, where there are no hundreds of thousands of troops, hundreds of thousands of people can be pulled out in the blink of an eye.

After a few words of gossip, Du Zhongxiao said: "I heard that Yelu Hongji who stayed behind wrote a letter to Wuqing, but as a result, he not only did not wake up, but also scolded the stay-behind. It seems that people who do not distinguish between right and wrong must have little time. Let's stay in Xiongzhou for a few days and wait for the decree. ”

After speaking, he ordered people to take Yeluren and others down and detain them.

Everyone went out, and Du Zhongxiao said to Fu Bi: "Among the Khitans captured in Youzhou this time, there are many Han ministers. How to deal with it, the imperial court has not yet decreed it. What did the captain think? ”

Fu Bi pondered for a while and said, "Since you are a Khitan minister, you can deal with it the same as the Khitans." However, among these ministers, there are quite a few useful talents, and it would be a pity if they were discarded. These people, although they are Hanchen, can be born from them, and they belong to the Khitan here, so what can be done? ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "That's what you say, but if you don't punish it, it will give people gossip." Although they have been in the Khitan territory since birth, can they not be officials? If you become an official, you must of course bear the responsibility of being an official. In my opinion, unless it is a special purpose, it is better to discard these people. It is the grace of the court not to affect their children and grandchildren. Otherwise, how can those who return to the court as soon as possible be convinced? Just like Ma Huaide's subordinates, there is a division leader Meng Dang, who turned out to be from Youzhou. Last year, he led people south, then marched into the military academy, and this year he made many military exploits in the Qianning Army. People like this are the ones to be reused. These people in the important Meng Party should set an example for others. ”

Fu Bi said: "What the captain said is true. It's just that many ministers have abandoned it and felt that it was a pity. ”

Du Zhongxiao shook his head. What's the pity? In this world, there is a shortage of talents, that is, there is no shortage of officials. Not to mention the responsibilities of these Khitan ministers, they used to be ministers in the Khitan, and after using them, there will be endless troubles. It's better to abandon everything and start over in the entire Youzhou area. Let's forget about the previous 100 years.

The Youzhou area has the largest number of Han people, followed by the Bohai people, and there are many of them. The Khitan is one country with two systems, the Han people use the Han method and the Chinese customs, and the Khitan people use the Hu customs. The Bohai people are the same as the Han people, using the Chinese law and customs, and treating them the same as the Han people. In fact, after the Song Dynasty, the Bohai people did not exist. There are four largest ethnic groups in the Khitan country. In addition to the Khitans, there were also Xi, Han and Bohai people. The relationship between the Khitan and the Xi people is very close, and the customs are similar. The relationship between the Han and the Bohai people is very close, and the customs are similar.

After the occupation of Youzhou, there are still some differences between the governance here and the mainland. However, Du Zhongxiao did not want to take care of these differences. The Xi people are treated as Khitans, and the Bohai people are directly regarded as Han people, saving countless troubles. Now the financial resources of the imperial court have the confidence to do so. And the most important thing to do is to abandon the Khitan officials, and send all the officials from the mainland, completely using the Han method.

Fu Bi is right, it is a pity that some Khitan officials do not need to abandon it. But it's a pity, it's a pity, what can it affect the court?

After sending away Yelu Renxian and the others, Du Zhongxiao returned to his residence. I made a pot of tea and sat down in a chair to rest. After this battle, the Khitan regime is likely to fall. Next, the Song army could send 120,000 people north to pacify the grassland area. Without these main forces, there should be no major war. Once the grasslands have been pacified and a railroad has been built, the threat of thousands of years of grassland threats should be gone.

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